Video games have made a big contribution to the entertainment industry, and so far, the gaming industry is showing no signs of slowing down. The reason is probably that everyone plays games, regardless of gender and age. Therefore, today video game companies have become influential players in the technology sector. However, do not think that modern studios are the coolest because many people have forgotten about the giants who brought cult projects to the gaming world. We have prepared this article about the 5 most influential gaming development companies. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
3DO – Classic Games Development Studio
3DO is the company that became the manufacturer of the set-top box of the same name. It was originally called SMSG [San Mateo Software Games] and was supposed to respond to Japanese console manufacturers Nintendo and SEGA. However, the console project was closed, and the corporation acquired Cyclone Studios, Archetype Interactive, and New World Computing and began its publishing business.
One of the most popular series that 3DO published was Heroes of Might and Magic, a fantasy computer role-playing strategy game. These games had elements of science fiction that strongly distinguished the series from other projects. But this was not enough, other projects did not bring success, and in 2003 the company filed for bankruptcy by selling the inheritance to other companies. But with all the sadness, the legendary Heroes of Might and Magic 3 still have an audience and are well supported by the community.
Blizzard
The company that gave the world the strategies that the whole world is cutting into the creators of StarCraft and WarCraft. A company emerged from the merger of Vivendi Games with Activision in 1994. In the same year, their most legendary game, Warcraft, was released, which brought the company worldwide fame and brought it to the forefront.
Every game from this studio has been a bestseller since the first Warcraft. In 1996, the company successfully bought out the Contra Games studio, which developed the no less legendary Diablo. And in 1998, Blizzard released StarCraft, the game that became the best-selling game of that year, gaining wild popularity in South Korea and around the world.
Bursts of Blizzard’s game development company USA popularity were in 2002 with the release of the third Warcraft and, of course, in 2004, when World of Warcraft appeared.
Visceral Game Developers Company
The studio behind Godfather and Dante’s Inferno is best known to gamers for its Dead Space space horror series.
Initially, the studio was part of the EA Games publishing house, but then in 1998, it became a separate division. The studio first worked on arcade games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2000, then moved on to movie-based games like 007: Agent Under Fire, and then the studio discovered space as the perfect setting for its new horror story.
The main idea of Dead Space was to scare the player in a completely new way, and Visceral Games managed to do it perfectly. In an attempt to develop something innovative, excellent gameplay solutions were born in the studio. In addition, the sound became a special part of the game. All this, together with the isolation of space, excellent mechanics, and necromorphs, made Dead Space a real game bomb.
Dead Space helped the studio break into the first echelons of the gaming industry, but it also ruined the studio: in pursuit of money, Visceral Games began to make games of the same type that players did not like.
Cygames
Why is Cygames good? They have created one of the most popular RPGs in the world, and they hold themselves to the highest level of quality. Top artists and composers are involved in their projects, and project support never stops.
For example, Granblue Fantasy is constantly acquiring new events: each excellently voiced has special music and has an interesting plot. In addition, the game has a huge and interesting campaign, a lot of additional content, and a level of development that other games of this genre could not even dream of.
They achieved this thanks to the developed games development services and outsourcing teams that create content for them for various events and updates. After all, it is much easier to hire a concept artist so that the main team can relax because there is a lot of content in Granblue Fantasy and, as the developers themselves say, they use the services of more than 10 outsourcing teams and a special game design company to keep the game at a constant pace.
All of these advances have gradually led Cygames to enter the “big” games market. They are currently working on porting Granblue Fantasy to consoles in slasher form and on new unique projects.
Rovio – Mobile Games Development Studio
And finally, it would be at least strange, not to mention the creators of the most downloaded mobile game in history, Angry Birds.
The wide popularity of Angry Birds is because the game was actively promoted and began to spread quickly everywhere. The lightning-fast development was influenced by several game production company strategies. Firstly, people were hooked by an interesting and exciting plot – users were maximally involved in the gameplay, controlled the slingshot with their own hands, and defeated enemies. And secondly, the bright and unusual images of the heroes evoked certain emotions: cute and funny birds attracted them while rejecting and unpleasant pigs, on the contrary, aroused anger, and people wanted to defeat them even more. It was a unique product with no analogs on the market, and due to the eye-catching and catchy colors of the characters, people were even more willing to download the application.
One of the best mobile games has not lost its significance even now, although it is inferior to new and unusual projects. Of course, it’s a pity that Rovio became the hostage of the brand they created, but if the “evil birds” still make you happy, why not continue playing them? Each game in this series is made with the highest quality. Moreover, among all, Rovio is a video game design company that was able to create a simple but interesting concept for the game with birds and pigs.
Last Words
As you can see, the sworn enemies of Valve and Blizzard, oldies like 3DO, and studios that created cult mobile projects become legendary. The list is endless, with RockStar Games, Gameloft, Nekki, and dozens of other great studios to mention. Even now, an obscure game development agency can launch an explosive new RPG or mobile shooter project that everyone will discuss.
This top is meant to show that regardless of platform, time frame, or budget, the gaming world is evolving, competing, and shining every day, delighting gamers worldwide.