June 22, 2021 is an incredible milestone for Bohemia Interactive, marking 20 years since the studio debuted its legendary Arma franchise. Initially called Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Assault, Arma: Cold War Assault was released on PC and firmly planted both the Arma and Bohemia flag in the gaming industry. For the next 20 days, the developer and publisher will celebrate their illustrious history and the fans that brought them to this point with rare insights, gifts, and surprises.
Click me. I dare you!
Arma not only provided gamers with a beloved military first-person shooter, it layed a foundation for modding that was vigorously embraced by the game’s fanbase. Over the years, the creative Arma community utilized the platform to enhance the mil-sim experience with their own creations, created unique role-play adventures, innovated within the survival genre, and even contributed to the birth of the battle royale gaming genre. Additional key highlights you can see in the Arma 20th Anniversary infographic below include:
- Top 3 Workshop Mods of All Time
- Community-Based Add-ons (CBA_A3)
- Community Upgrade Project Terrains (CUP)
- Red Hammer Studios mods (RHS)
- Over 1.1 Billion Hours Played of Arma 3
- 2002 – First Official Modding Tool — Oxygen — Available
- 2013 – The Birth of the Legendary DayZ Mod
- Top 5 Pro-Arma Countries
- USA
- Germany
- Russian Federation
- UK
- China
On June 22nd, Bohemia Interactive CEO Marek Spanel, Creative Director Ivan Buchta, and Arma 3 Community Manager Niles George hosted a 2-hour event where they revisited old memories, played some iconic Arma missions live, and unveiled some great news for fans! The VOD is available to watch on the official Arma YouTube channel.
While Marek and Ivan shared memories about Arma’s development of the three flagship Arma titles over the years, Niles took viewers on a journey through iconic missions in Armed Assault, Arma 2, and Arma 3. Even though there was only a limited amount of space in the stream itself, special guests like Jay Crowe, Dean Hall, and one of the series’ founding fathers Jan Hovora shared heartfelt messages via pre-recorded video messages.
Additionally, Bohemia announced that Arma: Cold War Assault is free on Steam and GOG for 2 days alongside the launch of the Arma Anniversary Bundle, which features every Arma title.
With 20 years of legacy in the rearview, the Bohemia Interactive team has plenty to celebrate. The 20-day commemoration is in full swing, so fans should keep their eyes on the Arma blog and follow the conversation on Twitter, and Discord for special content and social media activities that will bring fans together and revisit Arma’s epic journey.
*Operation Flashpoint(R) is a registered trademark of Codemasters
