Ī year later the company opened a localization branch and became one of the first official game localizers on the Russian market. Red Comrades Save the Galaxy was the first game released in such a format. Responding to this challenge, Buka started releasing games in cheaper jewel cases, thereby equalizing the prices for licensed games with the pirate ones. Therefore, the official distributors could not gain enough profit for their licensed products. While the number of licensed games in "boxed" versions did not exceed 2% of the total video games market in Russia, the absolute majority of the sold games was counterfeit. In 1998, Buka also became one of the most active representatives of the Russian anti-piracy movement, also known as the "Russian Shield" organization. Following the success of "Russian Roulette", in 1997-1998, Buka released and licensed Rage of Mages (developed by Nival), Vangers (by K-D Lab), and Hard Truck: Road to Victory (by SoftLab-NSK ), thus entering the global market. This item was one of the first computer games developed and published in Russia. In 1996, Buka began to work in the game-publishing business, starting off with the release of a PC-game "Russian Roulette" in the same year. Simultaneously, the company formed partnerships with several Russian companies, developing games for PC. In 1994-1996 Buka Entertainment signed contacts with Panasonic and Sony to distribute 3DO and PlayStation games and consoles in Russia. Despite the general belief that the name's origins were connected to the word " bogeyman" ("buka" in Russian), the company repeatedly stated that its name is an acronym of the founders' surnames. In February 1994, Ustinov registered the official company under the name of Buka. Initially, their working group, provisionally called "Bravo", planned to develop a new gaming console, but later gave up the idea and decided to focus instead on distributing Sega Mega Drive and its games in Russia. The idea to start a developing company unofficially hatched among Igor Ustinov, Andrey Antonov, Oleg Beloborodov, and Marina Ravun (Kapustina upon marriage) in 1993. History Early history and expansion (1994-2008) As of 2017, the company released over 1000 titles for various platforms, including PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iPhone OS. Īlthough Buka produces its own games, it is mostly known for acting as a publisher for independent developers and a localizer for AAA companies, such as Valve Corporation, Deep Silver, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Alawar, THQ, and others. Since 2008, it is a part of the 1C Company. Headquartered in Moscow, the company was officially established in 1994. Buka Entertainment JSC ( Russian: Бука) - is one of the oldest Russian video game developers and publishers.
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