Imperia Online JSC

Imperia Online JSC is a Bulgarian game production and publishing company founded by Moni Dochev and Dobroslav Dimitrov. Based in Sofia, Bulgaria, the company initially focused on browser-based games, with its flagship title being ''Imperia Online'', before expanding into mobile game development.

On September 21, 2018, Imperia Online became part of Stillfront Group, a global gaming company operating through sixteen subsidiaries. These include Imperia Online in Bulgaria, Twin Harbour Interactive in Hamburg, OFM Studios, and 6Waves in Hong Kong; Sandbox Interactive, New Moon Production, Goodgame Studios and Playa Games ein Germany, Coldwood Interactive vin Sweden, Power Challenge in the UK and Sweden, Simutronics, Candywriter, Storm8 and Super Free Games in the United States, Babil Games in UAE and Jordan, eRepublik Labs in Ireland and Romania, Everguild in the UK and Spain, Game Labs in Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Dubai, Italy and Estonia, Jawaker in UAE, Kixeye in Canada, Moonfrog in India, Nanobit in Croatia. Stillfront’s games are distributed globally, with primary markets including Germany, the United States, France, the UK, and the MENA region.

In 2023, Cvetan Rusimov was appointed CEO of Imperia Online JSC, responsible for overseeing the company's expansion and strategic growth within the industry.

As of January 2024 the company has more than 30 games for web browsers, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Steam.

History

Imperia Online JSC is a game development company based in Bulgaria, founded in September 2009 by Dobroslav Dimitrov and Moni Dochev. The company originated from the development of its flagship game, Imperia Online, which was first launched on August 23, 2005. By 2006, Imperia Online had been localized into 12 languages and had initiated its first competitive tournament, Nomads Invasions.

Between 2007 and 2009, Imperia Online JSC expanded its portfolio to include titles such as Galactic Imperia (2007), Global Wars (2008), and Imperial Hero (2009). Over the years, the company has continued to diversify its offerings with games across various platforms, including Ludo for iOS and Facebook, onlin Artillery, Imperial Hero II, Mad Moles, Rocket Chameleon, and Seasons of War. These titles have been released for iOS, Android, Facebook, and Windows.

In 2011, the company launched its World Cup tournaments, with Bulgaria winning the first event and retaining the title in 2012. Subsequent tournaments saw victories by Bulgaria (2011, 2012), Croatia (2013), Brazil (2014), Poland (2016), the United States (2018), Romania (2019, 2020, 2021), North Macedonia (2022), Romania (2023), Germany (2024).

In 2013, Imperia Online’s founders established Bulgaria’s first tuition-free school for game developers, originally called the Imperial Training Camp, which later became the IT Talents Training Camp. This program offers intensive courses in programming and game development and has graduated numerous students, many of whom have joined Imperia onlin or other technology firms, aiding in the growth of the local tech sector.

In 2014, Imperia Online launched "IO: The Great People" for Android, Windows Phone, and Facebook. Microsoft chose Imperia Online for its Featured section in the Windows Storе. That year, the company launched Mad Moles and Online Artillery 2 for iOS and Facebook. Rocket Chameleon was released for iOS and later received an Android version as well. In November 2014, Egg Tales was released for iOS. In January 2015, Seasons of War was launched for Android.

Imperia Online JSC actively participates in prominent industry events such as Gamescom and is one of the sponsors of Launchub. The company's executives, including Cvetan Rusimov, have been regular presenters at international conferences, such as Game Connection Paris, Webit, Nordic Game Expo, and the Israel Mobile Summit. Rusimov alone has delivered presentations at more than 20 events globally, including Pocket Gamer Connects in Helsinki and Vancouver. Mariela Tzvetanova and Mario Vasilev have also contributed their expertise by giving lectures at various worldwide conferences. Collectively, representatives from Imperia Online have spoken at over 80 events globally.

The company has formed synergies within the Stillfront Group with companies such as Dorado 6waves, eRepublik, Moonfrog Labs, and KIXEYE. In 2023, Imperia Online JSC launched games like "Generals: World War 2," in collaboration with Gamebrella, and "Painzeiro: Monster Run," in partnership with Brazilian influencer Painzeiro.

In 2023, Cvetan Rusimov was appointed CEO. The company continues to promote gaming culture and innovation through various events and partnerships. Recent projects include the live ops of “Siege:WWII” and "War Commander: Rogue Assault."

Figures

* As of January 2025 Imperia Online JSC, has more than 70 million registered users in its main products.
* The company and its games have nearly 650,000 fans across their Facebook pages.
* The annual revenue of Imperia Online JSC for 2017 is 5,3 Million Euro.
* The revenue for the period 2012-2017 is 33,2 Million Euro. And since 2018 Imperia Online is officially part of Stillfront.
* The game production company currently resides on 1,200 square meters of office space in Bulgaria's most luxurious office building
Infinity Tower
.
* As of January 2025 Imperia Online JSC has more than 70 employees.
* Imperia Online JSC and its products are popular in more than 194 countries.

Games

Training and education

In 2013, Imperia Online JSC launched Bulgaria's first tuition-free game development school, initially called the Imperial Training Camp. The inaugural season trained 40 individuals in PHP/MySQL and Java/Android, with 20 graduates joining Imperia Online and others recommended to different software companies.

The second season in 2014 drew greater interest, expanding to 80 students divided into four groups. Sixty-two completed the program, and 30 were employed by Imperia onlin.

By the third season, joined by Trader.bg, the school was renamed "IT Talents Training Camp," offering courses in PHP/ MySQL, Java/ Android, JavaScript, Objective-C/iOS, and Java SE / Java EE. This season ended in January 2015, with many of the 115 participants securing jobs.

Annually, about 180 cadets graduate from IT Talents, which collaborates with over 90 IT industry companies to supply skilled specialists. Each season, the initiative receives over 2,000 applications, selecting around 200 candidates for intensive 5-month courses. Since 2016, IT Talents has operated as an NGO, receiving Google Ad Grants for free AdWords campaigns. As of November 2017, IT Talents partnered with the Municipality of Burgas to offer a free 5-month program, streamlined by a simple registration process.

Outsourcing

In May 2015, Imperia onlin JSC launched Imperia Mobile Ltd., an IT outsourcing company managed by Radoslav Gaydarski. By year's end, the company completed over 10 major projects with a team of 165 professionals offering full project services.

In January 2017, the company rebranded to Upnetix, finishing the transition by April. It released over 50 projects across more than 10 industries. In September 2018, Upnetix was acquired by ScaleFocus, a leading Bulgarian IT firm.

Awards and nominations

2014: Imperia onlin JSC was awarded in the 'Corporate and Social Responsibility' category and nominated in the 'Education' category at the BAIT Awards. The company was named a 'Rising Star' in Deloitte's Fastest Growing IT companies ranking with a 498% growth. It received nominations in three categories (‘Promising IP’; ‘Desktop Downloadable’ & ‘Hardcore Game’) at the Game Connection Awards and was nominated for 'App Developer of the Year' at The Appsters.

2015: Deloitte ranked Imperia onlin as the 14th fastest-growing IT company in Central Europe with a 592% revenue growth. The company was nominated in three categories at the Forbes Business Awards, and employee Ilian Iliev secured 2nd place for Employee of the Year from Forbes Bulgaria Magazine.

2019: Received a "Mark of Excellence in Innovation" from the President of Bulgaria.

2021: Ranked 13th among the top 50 IT employers by Career Show Index. CEO Dobroslav Dimitrov, CTO Mony Dochev, and COO Cvetan Rusimov were listed among the top 100 IT people, with Administrative Director Velislav Georgiev in the top 100 HR people. Named among the top 35 dynamic companies by Capital. "Crush Them All" nominated for Best RPG at the TIGA Awards.

2022: Lead Developer Aleksandar Nikolov was nominated as "Developer on Focus" by Devstyler. The company was ranked 25th on Capital's "K100 Fintech and Software" list. "Siege: World War II" was a finalist for Best Strategy Game and Game of the Year at the TIGA Awards. Company leaders were again recognized in Career Show's Top 100 IT People.

2023: Cvetan Rusimov was recognized among the to
Top 100 most influential IT
in Bulgaria. "Crush Them All" was a finalist for th
TIGA Awards 2023

2024: Painzeiro: Monster Run has been nominated for 'Best Casual Game' by the TIGA Awards 2024.

References

External links

* {{Official website, www.imperiaonline.bg

Browser-based game websites
Video game development companies
Video game publishers
Video game companies of Bulgaria
Bulgarian companies established in 2005