ARMA 2 Dev Bohemia Interactive Acquires Multiple Studios

Czech ARMA 2 developer Bohemia Interactive said Thursday that it acquired three Eastern European development studios: Altar Games, Black Element Software and Centauri Production. The company said that the full acquisitions of the studios make Bohemia overall "one of the biggest independent development teams in the region." Brno, Czech Republic-based Altar Games is best known for the UFO strategy series, which includes UFO: Aftermath, UFO: Aftershock and UFO: Afterlight. Prague-based Black Element released action games Shade: Wrath of Angels and Alpha Prime, while fellow Prague studio Centauri Production has created adventure games including Memento Mori. Independently-owned Bohemia Interactive said that the three newly-acquired PC-centric game studios will continue to operate "both individually and cooperatively on various projects" under their new parent. Bohemia Interactive's most recent releases include ARMA 2, a military simulation game. The studio is also responsible for Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and said it continues to work on new military simulation titles. IDEA Games will continue to work with the larger Bohemia Interactive in the areas of business development, marketing, PR and legal services, the studio said. Bohemia Interactive, Altar Games and Black Element Software had already partnered together to form IDEA in 2005. Bohemia Interactive CEO Marek Spanel said in a statement, "This acquisition strengthens our studio by adding extremely experienced and talented developers from three different teams at Altar, Black Element and Centauri. It is true milestone in our company’s history."