Ten of the most respectable game developers

Recently in light of Destiny’s release I talked about the developers who have lost their high reputations in the eyes of the gaming community, so I thought it was time to look at the other side of the coin, at the developers who have kept their integrity and professionalism intact over the years or have simply risen to become a top company in the industry. As before, this list is all about companies who are still in business today and possess reputations that other developers should strive to reach.

1. Valve Corporation

After they first broke into AAA standard with the original Half Life in 1998, Valve has grown to become perhaps the biggest juggernaut in the PC space. Their games are often revolutionary, immaculately produced and thrill gamers the world over, they’re incredibly efficient at adapting to changes and developments in the gaming industry but perhaps the biggest contribution they’ve made to their specialty platform was Steam; one of the most recognisable and widely used digital distribution services in all of gaming. For eleven years, the software distribution platform has offered the most effective and accessible service for downloading games. Recently it was revealed that Steam has reached over 100 Million active users with over 3700 games available to download; add to this the countless deals and special offers given out and you’ll understand why it’s the number one service for PC gamers. The only problem with Valve? They really do love to tease us with Half Life nowadays; make it happen Gabe!

2. Bethesda Game Studios

Bethesda (the game studio, not the publisher) has built its name on acquiring franchises and elevating them to gaming greatness. Their two biggest franchises are The Elder Scrolls and Fallout which both found new life under Bethesda’s banner. Fallout 3 brought Interplay’s series into full 3D and in doing so, established and enhanced a palpable post-nuclear atmosphere which other developers are judged against. And for The Elder Scrolls, a series which had been confined to dungeons and arenas through the nineties, Bethesda went a step above by embracing open world gameplay with the third entry in the series, Morrowind in 2002. This formula was then refined and improved upon in Oblivion in 2006 and Skyrim in 2011, resulting in some of the most expansive, compelling and popular RPGs ever made. Skyrim in particular has proved so successful with gamers that modders are still crafting new content for the game two years after it was first introduced to the game. While Bethesda’s games may have given them a somewhat unfortunate reputation for releasing buggy games, they have never let the community down over the years.

3. CD Projekt Red

Polish developer CD Projekt Red is a rising star in modern gaming. Releasing their first game in the form of The Witcher in 2007, the company has gone on to become one of the most well-known and beloved PC developers in the industry. 2011’s The Witcher 2 did more than just improve on the original in every way; it made CD Projekt a force to be reckoned with in the role-playing genre. The Witcher 3 has risen to the top of multiple “most anticipated of 2015” lists and the company has become so popular that they have become a national symbol for Poland; a title no other game developer can claim to possess. The company has also become quite the ambassador for good practices in gaming lately; they are openly against DRM and are working with GOG (Good Old Games) to make a fairer digital service for gamers the world over.

4. Rockstar Games

You only need three words to describe Rockstar in a nutshell, Grand Theft Auto. Since the series began in the nineties, GTA has become the biggest and arguably the most popular franchise in gaming. Rockstar, whether you’re talking about their North studio in the UK which bestowed gamers the main entries in the GTA series, their San Diego studio in the United States which produced Red Dead Redemption or their other studios worldwide, gamers are forever confident that Rockstar, along with Naughty Dog is a studio that can always and consistently meet and often surpass all expectations and hype when it comes to developing a product. There is no better proof of this than the constant critical acclaim and humongous sales figures that come in every time one of their games comes out and the way their games outlast and survive the controversies thrown around them by the mainstream media and society. The company has also been known to take time and care with its titles, ensuring that each new release pushes a franchise forward whilst also being enjoyable and intuitive to play. With Grand Theft Auto 5, the company has produced its biggest game yet, a success which will be built upon with likely expansions and a next-gen port.

5. Rocksteady Studios

Rocksteady started out quite small in the development scene, making the moderately successful Urban Chaos: Riot Response in 2006. But then they came out with Batman: Arkham Asylum three years later; a game which single-handedly changed the perception of super-hero games forever. No longer did games from this genre have to be mediocre and lazy cash-ins; instead they could be absorbing, intense and lovingly-crafted to take full advantage of the source material. The company did just that with Asylum and elevated the series to super-stardom with its sequel Arkham City in 2011. After a mixed response from the prequel Batman Arkham Origins (which was developed by Warner Bros Montreal and failed to push the series forward the way City did), gamers know now more than ever that Rocksteady is the one developer who can handle Batman better than all the others and fans eagerly await the final game in the trilogy, Arkham Knight.

6. Insomniac Games

Having been in the industry for twenty years now, Insomniac Games has produced a range of quality titles which sustained Sony’s PlayStation for three generations. Spyro pushed the limits of 3D platforming on the PlayStation with its vibrant environments and smooth gameplay, Ratchet and Clank enthralled thousands of fans on the PlayStation 2 and 3 with its charm and an addictive mix of platforming and shooting and finally Resistance brought the company back to the realm of the adult with gritty action and horror elements that set it apart from all the other shooter franchises that dominated the market in the HD generation. Of course what everyone knows Insomniac for is its wild creativity; crazy weapons and fun gadgets are their specialty and this is set to continue with the crazy and colourful Sunset Overdrive later this year, a game which will mark the studio’s debut on the Xbox platform.

7. Kojima Productions

It may have been founded in 2005 but the real beginnings of Kojima Productions stretch back to the late 1980s where a young Hideo Kojima came up with an idea that eventually spawned a whole new genre; the use of stealth rather than blunt force. The original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake were huge hits in Japan which then led on to Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation, which turned the series into a worldwide success. With Kojima at its centre and a significant amount of quality titles under its belt, Kojima productions has become one of the biggest powerhouses in stealth gaming. The company is currently polishing up what could be the final Metal Gear Solid game; The Phantom Pain which will release in 2015. If there’s one misstep Kojima’s company has taken in the business it was Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes; such a short game really shouldn’t have been sold as a full priced demo, but when you consider the vast library of games the company has put out, plus the enormous success and critical acclaim of the Metal Gear franchise as a whole, it’s easy to overlook this mistake.

8. Turn 10 Studios

Turn 10 was formed in 2001 by Microsoft and was given an incredibly difficult task to accomplish; to oust Sony’s Gran Turismo as the definitive AAA racing series whilst also providing a strong exclusive franchise for the Xbox platform. In the thirteen years hence, the studio has more than lived up to this investment. Each and every one of the six Forza games across the three Xbox systems have been equally excellent and compared with Gran Turismo, which has continued to undergo a slow release cycle, the series is still going strong with Forza Horizon 2 set to release towards the end of this year. Whilst the studio hasn’t strayed from the franchise since it started up over a decade ago, they nonetheless remain a key component of Microsoft’s strategy for the Xbox.

9. Naughty Dog

Established in 1989, Naughty Dog started off making games for the PC, Sega Genesis and 3DO. But then they were acquired by Sony and that’s where things really got interesting for the company; beginning with Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation in 1996, Naughty Dog has been on a constant, continuous and unstoppable rise, never have they made a lacklustre product and never have they disappointed. With each new console generation, their development prowess has grown exponentially, with the equally popular Jak and Daxter on the PlayStation 2 and Uncharted on PlayStation 3. Now that they have reached an ultimate peak with The Last of Us (which won over 200 Game of the Year awards), gamers are wondering whether they can possibly soar any higher with the upcoming Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Suffice it say that Naughty Dog stands as not only one of the best developers, but could also be considered the finest exclusive developer in the business.

10. Nintendo

A company which has had a longer journey than any other company on the list, Nintendo (who are celebrating their 125^th anniversary on this very day) may be hobbling along with the Wii U right now, but it’s impossible to deny the impact they have had on the industry for over thirty years. Without Nintendo the video game industry wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it is today; it all started in the 1980s when the company rescued gaming from the North American market crash with the Nintendo Entertainment System, on which Mario, Zelda and Metroid made their 8-Bit debuts. From there, Nintendo moved up to the Super Nintendo (SNES) where they showed everyone, including their primary competitor Sega, how to best upgrade franchises from one console generation to the next. And when the 3D revolution came about in the nineties, Nintendo was at the forefront of this change, delivering masterpieces such as Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Goldeneye. Over the years they’ve always embraced new ideas, which were highlighted by the motion controls of the Wii and despite being right up there with Microsoft and Sony as one of the biggest companies in the world; they’ve kept fun factor at the centre of their games and have refused to adopt bad practices that plague many modern games. As a hardware manufacturer, they’re struggling, but as a game developer, Nintendo remains one of the best out there.