6 Successful Gaming Companies Based in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is most famous for its numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, glassmaking traditions, and marvelous castles and chateaus. However, it’s not the first European country that comes to mind when discussing the gaming industry. But while it isn’t as renowned in the scene as France with Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry creator Ubisoft or the UK with its major video games like Grand Theft Auto and LittleBigPlanet, several Czech gaming companies have launched significant hits for console, PC, and mobile. Here are six particularly successful ones.

Bohemia Interactive

Headquartered in Prague and founded back in 1999, Bohemia Interactive is most celebrated for their military simulation games like DayZ and Arma. Although they’ve grown significantly since their start in the industry and own the best-equipped motion capture studio in central Europe, they still uphold the qualities and values of an independent video game publisher.

Their simulation games authentically represent modern warfare as is and address complex issues within the genre, including how it affects innocent civilians. Bohemia’s most robust game series, Arma, has catered to tactical shooter and military sim fans since 2006. For many years, the Arma series used the Real Virtuality engine, which was recognized by the UK and US armed forces. Consequently, they built a full VBS training platform for real military use.

BoomBit

BoomBit is an international game developer with teams in Poland, the Czech Republic, and other countries across the globe. They boast an incredible repertoire of 189 games published since 2021 and almost 1.7 billion downloads – with 183+ million in 2023 alone. The company creates mobile games spanning various genres such as puzzle, strategy, RPG, hyper-casual, and more, catering to a wide audience.

Those looking for something quick and satisfying to play can check out their hyper-casual games like Will It Shred?, which gives you the pleasure of shredding random objects, or Dog Life Simulator, a game that lets you navigate the life of a virtual dog. BoomBit is also famous for their fighting RPG games Tiny Gladiators and Tiny Gladiators 2, which feature hand-drawn graphics and fun gameplay full of battles and skill building.

Hangar 13

Hangar 13, based in Novato, California, rightfully acquired its name due to the city being a former Hamilton Air Force Base. While they’re primarily an American company, they have two additional studios in the Czech Republic and one in Brighton. Hangar 13 was founded nine years ago and is a subsidiary of 2K – the company responsible for BioShock, Borderlands, NBA 2K, PGA Tour 2K, and other big titles.

Hangar is best known for developing Mafia III and Mafia: Definitive Edition, two action-adventure video games with an open-world premise. Mafia III revolves around a Vietnam War veteran seeking revenge on local mobs, with gameplay that features shooter combat, stealth tactics, interaction with NPCs, and more, while Mafia: Definitive Edition is a modern remake of the original Mafia.

Geewa

Geewa won the Red Herring 100 Europe award in 2013, just nine years after they were founded in the capital of the Czech Republic. Their name is an acronym for Games for Everyone, Everywhere, With Anyone, which reflects their company’s focus on casual and competitive mobile games. In the past, they’ve released many PC games, such as Wild West Duel and Poker Texas Hold’em – games with themes you will see if you browse Nolimit City slots on casinos.com today – but they are most proud of their Pool Live Tour series that encompasses the original Pool Live Tour, Pool Live Tour 2, and Pool Live Tour: Champions.

These pool simulation games feature both online multiplayer and offline play with a control system that is intuitive and simple. Pool coins won online can reward players with new pool cues with different shapes, colors, materials, and prints. Pool Live Tour 2 capitalized on the original game mechanics and added extra features and flair, while the new Champions edition incorporates mini-games, a rank progression system, custom pool teams, and an improvement in pool physics.

Wargaming

Wargaming is a global video game company with current and former studios spanning North America, Australia, and Europe, including Prague. With more than 16 offices and studios around the world and a presence spanning 25 years, they’re a well-established company that has created turn-based strategy, real-time strategy, multiplayer online action games, and a couple of other games of different genres.

Arguably, their most successful and recognized game is the World of Tanks game series, which was initially released on PC and later became so popular that it was made for other gaming consoles like PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox. Players control an artillery vehicle or armored tank and can select from six different types of battles, conduct missions, participate in platoons, and overall try to win the match. World of Tanks made its rightfully earned esports debut at the World Cyber Games 2012, further testifying to its success.

SCS Software

SCS Software has a unique niche in the gaming industry, focusing mainly on driving simulators with big titles such as American Trust Simulator, World of Trucks, and Euro Truck Simulator. Their games have set the bar high due to their attention to detail, fantastic visuals, realistic truck components, and modding support from their player community. To be as inclusive as possible, they strike a balance between realistic driving and fun gameplay mechanics. Their American Truck Sim features iconic US landmarks, licensed trucks from commercial manufacturers, and an overall accurate representation of what it’s like to be a trucker in North America.

Their games are developed using their very own Prism3D Engine, which powers their massive game worlds and caters to their every creative idea.