bitComposer Entertainment AG has acquired the exclusive worldwide rights for future video game adaptations of the acclaimed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. brand from Boris Natanovich Strygatsky. This is the second strong international license that the Eschborn-based company has acquired within the space of a few years, and this move ensures that the successful series will continue. Further details will be released shortly.
"The acquisition of the S.T.AL.K.E.R. license serves as an important cornerstone for the further international orientation of bitComposer Entertainment AG," says Stefan Weyl, member of the bitComposer Entertainment AG executive board. "For us, this brand represents a bridge to an important segment of triple-A products and a milestone in the history of the company. We would like to express our gratitude to Boris Natanovich Strygatsky."
"S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a reputable brand with a long history of success. To date, the series has sold many millions of units worldwide," says Wolfgang Duhr, member of the bitComposer Entertainment AG executive board. "Naturally, we'd like to tap into the success of this series, and we see a great deal of potential for the future."
Since the 2007 release of the first part, "Shadow of Chernobyl," the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series has received numerous national and international awards. "Shadow of Chernobyl" has sold over 300,000 copies in the German-speaking countries alone. The series has received exceptional overall reviews worldwide, with average ratings of 82% (Metacritic) for Shadow of Chernobyl and 80% (Metacritic) for Call of Pripyat. So far, the three titles in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series have been released exclusively for Windows PC.
The games in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series are adapted from the novel Roadside Picnic by the brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which was also the basis of a film. The film Stalker, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, was produced in 1979, and is considered a classic of Soviet cinema.
bitComposer Entertainment AG has acquired the rights for future game adaptations of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. brand. All other rights remain with the Strugatsky brothers.
Boris Natanovich Strugatsky passed away unexpectedly on the 19th of November, 2012, at the age of 79.