August 31, 2023 – 1C Game Studios announces development of a new large-scale project, an action/adventure game called The War of the Worlds: Siberia, inspired by H.G. Wells’ classic science fiction novel.
In an alternate 1896, Earth was the target of a massive Martian invasion. The War of the Worlds: Siberia takes place in Russia, where several characters attempt to save themselves by fleeing panic-stricken Petrograd and head for the eastern end of the Russian Empire.
The War of the Worlds: Siberia trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_b43YWBX48
The War of the Worlds: Siberia features:
- Thrilling action/adventure experience
- Unique setting of the Russian Empire under the rule of alien invaders
- An intricate story with memorable characters who represent classic archetypes of 19th-century Russia
- Shootouts with dozens of weapons, from cap-lock rifles and black powder pistols to the Maxim machine gun
- Stealth elements and spatial puzzles
“We’ve always dreamed about making a ‘What if?’ kind of game,” explains 1C Game Studios director Albert Zhiltsov. “What if the invasion wasn’t limited to Victorian Britain and instead took place all over the world? We wanted to include Russia in that story. During that period, the country was a powerful empire, plagued by internal struggles. An alien invasion is a historical trigger, much like the revolution of 1917: all the issues accumulated over the years spill out all at once.”
Andrey Shumakov, producer of The War of the Worlds: Siberia: “When we were developing the concept of Siberia, our main inspirations were emotionally resonant, narrative-heavy games that are not so common nowadays. Our primary goal is to tell an interesting and believable story, introduce the player to a cast of colorful characters and immerse them in a large-scale spectacular adventure.”
Sergei “SerB” Burkatovskiy, scriptwriter, author: “The idea of The War of the Worlds was formed almost twenty years ago, during a once-popular Video Game Developer Conference in 2005. Martian tripods against the snowy Siberian landscape, Cossacks versus aliens—how cool is that? For years this idea was slowly brewing, so to speak. We were learning to make our own games, watching what others were doing, and today the moment has finally come when we can say we’re doing this!”
1C Game Studios is a video game development and publishing studio founded in December 2012. The studio was originally founded with only 20 people. At the moment, the number of employees exceeds 200 professionals. 1CGS actively supports its current projects as well as developing new works which are yet to be announced.
In 2014, the studio's first project, IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad, was released. Almost ten years later, more than 30 games have been released in the IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles franchise. All the while, the world-renowned flight simulator continues to evolve. In 2023, 1CGS plans to release some landmark DLCs.
In January 2015, 1CGS began developing Caliber, a tactical online shooter. In December 2019, open beta testing was launched. By early 2023, the game’s player base was over 2.3 million people. Caliber was released on Steam in April 2023.
In March 2023, a game series based on the Tales of Old Rus was announced. Tales of Old Rus is a universe created by well-known illustrator Roman Papsuyev, who was named best artist of 2004 by Mir Fantastiki magazine, and best European artist of 2008 at Eurocon.
1C Game Studios official website:
https://1cgs.net/
The War of the Worlds: Siberia official site:
http://siberiawotw.com/en
Sergei “Serb” Burkatovskiy is a scriptwriter and author of novels. Sergei has been working in IT since 1997. In 2009-2014 he was the lead developer on the World of Tanks team.