1C Company has partnered with developer 777 Studios, known for Rise of Flight: The First Great Air war, to form a joint venture and new studio named 1C Game Studios. This venture brings two of the world's leading combat flight-simulation franchises and development teams together under one banner to form a new, dynamic team led by 777 Studios management. Giving respect to the roots of the IL-2 Sturmovik series, the partnership will start with the development of Battle of Stalingrad which focuses on the Eastern Front air war during the titanic struggle over the industrial city of Stalingrad in 1942-43. The battle of Stalingrad was an important turning point for both the Soviet and German armies in WWII, with the air war playing an important role in the outcome. 

Initial client release is slated for early 2014 with add-on content and additional features and theatres to follow. IL-2 Sturmovik titles feature intense aerial combat and dozens of historically accurate warplanes and missions. Named in honor of the famous Soviet Ilyushin IL-2 ground-attack fighter, the Sturmovik series features all major theatres in WWII, from the freezing eastern front to carrier combat in the vast pacific theatre.  The IL-2 Sturmovik series of titles is widely regarded as the standard by which all other combat flight-simulators are measured and remains a top seller worldwide.

“Our team is approaching a very important stage of development – we’re almost at the finish line. Before this point we only had a draft, a rough version with basic elements of gameplay. By the time the beta starts we should have the majority of content ready, it will be a full-fledged game at that point,” said Albert Zhiltsov, producer of IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad. “We plan to dedicate the remaining months to optimization and bug fixing. The game has been in the early access stage since November 2013. This spring we opened up access 24/7 and we have been producing weekly updates for the past several months, which means releasing a new game every seven days. This is not the most efficient option for a development team, but this gives us a unique and valuable opportunity to get feedback from users before the game hits stores.”

The official IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad web store now offers a Special Deal – visitors can now purchase not only the Premium version of the game, but a Standard edition as well. Special early-bird discounts for both versions are valid till June 18th 2014.

According to the current development plan a public beta-test phase will be held this summer. 

Key Features:

• Brand new single-player campaign mode for combat flight-sims: server supported campaign generator where all missions are historical, dynamic and unique.
• Unprecedented level of details in physics, damage model and aerodynamics of the virtual aircrafts.
• True-to-life and complex AI system.
• The largest and most detailed recreation of the air war in Stalingrad (unique structures/buildings, you can only find recreated here).
• Legendary combat aircraft thoroughly re-created using the original drawings and blueprints.
• Historically correct reconstruction of all key operations of the Stalingrad battle.
• Quick fights and large-scale battles in single-player and multiplayer with dedicated servers.
• In-game achievement system, allowing players to unlock new airplane modifications/upgrades based on player's mission results.
• Global player statistics.