1C Game Studios

Background
1C Publishing was founded in Russia in 1991 and began to publish games in 1996. 1C has five internal development studios and a European publishing arm formed after the acquisition of Cenega Publishing. In 2008, the company purchased their main competitor, Buka Entertainment. 1C Publishing was the biggest game publisher in Russia. In 2012, the game studio of 1C Company was renamed into 1C Game Studios, and is now heavily focused on the IL-2 Sturmovik franchise.

1st Logo (1996-1998)
Nicknames: "The Countdown", "Choppy Countdown"

Logo: On a black background, a digital "9" is seen before it starts counting down, while slowly changing its color to. When it reaches "1", it switches to an abstract "1", resembling the SVT 1 logo at the time, but with 2 stripes. It then moves to the left as a similarly shaped "C" fades in. A light then wipes in the text "представляет" (Presents) in Cooper Black below. The logo blinks on its surface throughout.

Variant: A variant with a rippling transition at the end exists.

FX/SFX: The number changing, the light, and the glowing. Very choppy.

Music/Sounds: A synth drone, sounds of countdown (which are actually North American "off-hook" tones), and a synth tune with choirs after it's complete.

Availability: Extremely rare. It can be seen on 1C's earliest releases.

Legacy: None.

2nd Logo (1999-May 24, 2002)
Nicknames: "The Countdown II"

Logo: Again we see the countdown, but now starting at "5". The letters are also 3D, more golden, and blink on their surfaces all throughout. When the countdown reaches "1", the letter "C" appears to the right, along with the words "Фирма 1С" below. The logo aligns to the center and shines. Finally, the word "ПРЕДСТАВЛЯЕТ" again fades in via a blur.

Variant: There is a still variant where "1C" is and white without labeling. This was mostly used on localized games.

FX/SFX: The countdown, the transformation and the shining. Better animation than before.

Music/Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Uncommon. Can be found on Clay Agent and Konung: Legend of the North, both also released in Europe but now long gone. Can be found on a pair of Snowball Interactive's localized games, for example Shadow of Zorro. On a few other games, like Etherlords, the still variant was used.

Legacy: None.

3rd Logo (October 3, 2003-April 11, 2012)
Nicknames: "The Great Countdown", "Digital Clock"

Logo: On a screen full of green noise, the 3D numbers of the clock "(XX:XX)" are seen zooming in and counting down. The noise clears throughout. When the numbers reach "00:01", they turn around to show the 1C logo with "Фирма "1С"" fading in via a blur again below. Then a bright flash engulfs the logo, turning the logo two-dimensional and colored either firebrick red and imperial blue on a white background (2003-2008) or on a  background (2008-2012).

Variant: There is a rare version where the byline is translated into "1C company", but it becomes uppercase upon flash.

FX/SFX: The countdown.

Music/Sounds: Noisy effects with ticking sounds, a droning synth note, a clang, and a whoosh.

Availability: Seen on games from the period. The first game to use this logo was Little Longnose ("Карлик Нос") (2003) and the last game to use this logo is unknown: premusably, it's Men of War: Condemned Heroes (2012), which has the still variant of the logo in its game menu. This logo is still used as a print logo for the 1C Company itself.

Legacy: None.

4th Logo (The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings variant) (May 16, 2011)
Nickname: "The Dirty 1C"

Logo: We see the 1C logo smearing onto a foggy yellow background. Roots start to grow on it. After a few seconds, the logo zooms in and dissolves.

FX/SFX: The logo zooming in and dissolving, the roots growing.

Music/Sounds: A dramatic string theme.

Availability: Only seen on the Russian version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

Legacy: None.

(2013-)
Logo: TBA.

FX/SFX: CGI effects.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Current.

Legacy: None.