Game Developer Research releases "Top 50 Developers 2008" report
Much like the average review score report released earlier this week, we're sure that the report we're about to discuss will serve as ammunition for many a fanboy feud in the coming months -- Game Developer Research (a branch of Game Developer Magazine which was created in hopes of bringing a "new level of empirical measurement" to the gaming market) recently released their "Top 50 Developers 2008" report. Sadly, Backbone Emeryville, the artisanal minds behind last year's XBLA sleeper hit Yaris, didn't make the cut.
Basing their rankings on sales figures, prolificacy, average review scores, and results from over 700 surveys issued to industry suits, GDR's list seems to be the most well-founded developer ranking we've ever seen (though Yarisians would probably disagree). We've got the whole list after the jump -- aren't you curious how your faves placed?
1. Nintendo
2. Infinity Ward
3. Blizzard Entertainment
4. EA Canada
5. Valve
6. Konami Japan Studio
7. Insomniac Games
8. Capcom Osaka
9. EA Tiburon
10. Bioware Edmonton
11. Bungie
12. Ubisoft Montreal
13. 2K Boston / 2K Australia
14. Harmonix
15. Bandai Namco Games
16. Square Enix
17. Game Freak
18. Epic Games
19. Hudson Soft
20. Neversoft Entertainment
21. EA Redwood Shores
22. Crytek
23. Nintendo EAD Tokyo
24. EA Los Angeles
25. Realtime Worlds
26. Bethesda Softworks
27. Naughty Dog
28. SCE Studios Santa Monica
29. EA Black Box
30. Turn 10 Studios
31. Traveller's Tales
32. Relic Entertainment
33. Beenox
34. Level 5
35. Tose
36. Codemasters
37. Maxis
38. Pawapuro Production
39. EA UK Studio
40. Firaxis
41. Amaze Entertainment
42. Massive Entertainment
43. Retro Studios
44. Sega of Japan
45. Sports Interactive
46. Tecmo
47. Sumo Digital
48. Crystal Dynamics
49. Obsidian Entertainment
50. Big Huge Games
Basing their rankings on sales figures, prolificacy, average review scores, and results from over 700 surveys issued to industry suits, GDR's list seems to be the most well-founded developer ranking we've ever seen (though Yarisians would probably disagree). We've got the whole list after the jump -- aren't you curious how your faves placed?
1. Nintendo
2. Infinity Ward
3. Blizzard Entertainment
4. EA Canada
5. Valve
6. Konami Japan Studio
7. Insomniac Games
8. Capcom Osaka
9. EA Tiburon
10. Bioware Edmonton
11. Bungie
12. Ubisoft Montreal
13. 2K Boston / 2K Australia
14. Harmonix
15. Bandai Namco Games
16. Square Enix
17. Game Freak
18. Epic Games
19. Hudson Soft
20. Neversoft Entertainment
21. EA Redwood Shores
22. Crytek
23. Nintendo EAD Tokyo
24. EA Los Angeles
25. Realtime Worlds
26. Bethesda Softworks
27. Naughty Dog
28. SCE Studios Santa Monica
29. EA Black Box
30. Turn 10 Studios
31. Traveller's Tales
32. Relic Entertainment
33. Beenox
34. Level 5
35. Tose
36. Codemasters
37. Maxis
38. Pawapuro Production
39. EA UK Studio
40. Firaxis
41. Amaze Entertainment
42. Massive Entertainment
43. Retro Studios
44. Sega of Japan
45. Sports Interactive
46. Tecmo
47. Sumo Digital
48. Crystal Dynamics
49. Obsidian Entertainment
50. Big Huge Games





















(Page 1) Reader Comments
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I'm thinking about picking up this and the Ordinance Survery map (the one on CD) for a fun evening.
Nintendo on top aye? Wonder how the Sony or MS die hard club feel about that...
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http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/04/which-publisher-gets-the-best-review-scores/
We feel great, thanks for asking :]
Looks like someone slept through the Gamespot problems LOL.
Plus when you factor in the Wii and DS outselling everything.
Nintendo really grabbed themselves by the balls after the N64 and Cube problems.
Sure the ps3 may not have a 90+ game in its first year (which will likely change this year), but a bunch of 80s is better than 1 or 2 90s and a bunch of 50s 60s and 70s when you're doing a total average
This is a Developers list not a Publishers list. Yes, Nintendo has a lot of shitty published games. The titles they develop are pretty f'in outstanding in my opinion.
I always said the Wii would be the next PS2 as well. But then it went and outperformed it on the sales charts.
Lots of angry Anti-Nintendo people around!
Er, please let me know which other method is available to tell which publisher had the best ratings...
"But if you'd like to play the review score game, why hasn't the PS3 put out a 90+ rated game yet? Which publisher had the highest rated game of this (currently, Galaxy), last gen (TP) and the generation before that (OoT)?"
mmm, I think you should have specified by saying exclusives, because the PS3 has 3 games over 90.
Galaxy does seem like Mario 128...anyway, great game (despite the fact that I didn't like it), but this generation has just started.
Lol, its funny that you mention TP as a last gen game, I though Nintendo fans like to claim that it is game from this gen. Anyway, no, it isn't the best rated, it is Metroid Prime, but guess what? the PS2 had its game called Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, and Xbox had Halo also rated at 97.
And about OoT, well, I did enjoy the game, although I think that Majora's Mask is the one that should have become famous.
"Nintendo really grabbed themselves by the balls after the N64 and Cube problems."
Sorry but they are doing pretty much what they did before, I mean, their online service is almost non-existant, no 3rd party focus, rehashing of old franchises.
All they did fix this time was the price of their console, that and selling a casual game to attract that group.
"You mean like the PS2? About 5 or so excellent games and the rest being drivel."
If you only found 5 excellent games on the PS2's library then you sir are missing a hell lot.
"I always said the Wii would be the next PS2 as well. But then it went and outperformed it on the sales charts."
Outperformed? I have yet to find a non first party game that has performed well on the Wii...unlike the PS2.
And I doubt it will be the next PS2, I doubt any of the consoles this gen are able to achive that.
Either way, my 3 favorite developers were in the top 5 (Nintendo, Valve, Blizzard). They all performed well this year, and good. These are 3 developers i've loved very much for a long time, and they've made some very wise decisions this year.
Ladies and gentlement - the new PS2 takes a bow.
To balance all my arguments out I haven't played on a Wii or DS since Xmas and I hate Metroid Prime 3 (too linear).
But like I said they really do know their stuff. To have 2 machines that perform better than last gens behemoth is incredible.
Noshino does know how to read, unlike you who doesn't know how to type someone's nickname well.
Here is another chart for you to check:
http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunch.php?cons1=N64®1=All&cons2=PS®2=All&cons3=®3=All&weeks=400
wow, the 64 was beating the PS for such a long time, look how that turned out huh.
At this point, the Wii depends on its casual appeal, unlike the other 2 consoles. It has been over a year and the only 2 hardcore games were NMH and Z&W.
Like I stated before, none of the consoles this generation have what it takes to become the next PS2, they need an appealing price point (around the 200s), 3rd party support (which Nintendo doesn't have, shovelware doesn't count), vast library of different genres. Thing is, Nintendo is the closest to it, but because they have hanged this "casual" title (when Variety reviews your games, then yes, you have "casual" stickers all over you) that many of the hardcore crowd don't feel comfortable with...
Then there is the 360, but its history will not allow it to go as high, I think next gen it will be runner up to that seat.
And the PS3 has too high of a price point to even appeal to everyone, and I doubt they are anywhere close to hitting the 200s...
"But like I said they really do know their stuff. To have 2 machines that perform better than last gens behemoth is incredible."
yah yah, business, I guess the fact that they rehashed old technology is what disappointed me this time, good ol' N, anyway, let me know when they get a machine that has the guts to actually compete, not on sales, with the other 2 (Lol, that reminds me, last time I had a conversation with Fernando, the only thing he was bringing up was the games, not even he was able to bring something against that, and to say that you aren't disappointed by the path Nintendo took this time is utter bs, they have always been trying to bring the most powerful console all around, yet not this time with the DS and Wii)...
"Sorry we're talking about proper results like this, not paid off reviewers."
Apparently, average review scores collected from various corners of the internet are horribly biased (since every single reviewer is paid off, naturally), whereas the individual findings of a single magazine, whose ratings system is devised from an unrevealed algorithm with their own weighting, are honest to goodness "proper results." Makes perfect sense to me.
Actually, they haven't released a game since what, Doom 3? Nevermind, forgot about Orcs and Elves and the Doom RPG.... well, that explains why they aren't there.
That is a very good list though, regardless of the fact I don't know half of them.
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Woah. Game Freak is right under Square Enix! Doesn't GF only make pokemon games...?(no disrespect to the Game Freaks)
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Hell, if EA was in the top 20 I'd still disregard the list as BS.
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EA is a very large company. More like an empire really, with down-trodden conquests put on merciless dead-lines. :-)
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Now i go to brave Snow and ice and drifts and indecipherable roadways to claim Brawl
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Oh, and Game Developer magazine is pretty well respected by industry pros, so this list carries some weight. The magazine's like the Wall Street Journal of Gaming when compared to most other gaming publications.
id are some of my fave devs (alongside Nintendo, Valve and the pre-2000 Factor 5 and Rare). But they've not had the best time recently. Did id even work on Quake Wars, I only played a bit but didn't another studio take over?
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