Top Video Game Developers

Video games are an obsession for many people, and this multi-billion dollar industry has gained even more prominence, thanks to the advanced video game consoles that are available in the market today. A whole new segment of gamers have opened up in the last few years, and video game developers are increasingly creating video games that cater to people of all ages.

A developer works in a company that creates and develops the software of a video game. They can focus their efforts solely on creating games for a particular console (like Sony PlayStation 3 or Microsoft Xbox 360), or they can be companies that develop games for all platforms. PC games are also very popular amongst gamers from all around the world, so this is another segment that they work towards serving.

One needs to understand the difference between third-party and independent developers, first. The company that sells a video game, and markets and advertises it is known as the publisher. Many times, a publisher company hires a third-party one to create the software for the game, and both these companies work in tandem.

The publisher benefits because he gets expertise in the video game development process, and the developer benefits because he does not have the resources to market the game, and these resources are then provided by the publisher.

Independent ones are small-time developers who do not rely on a publisher to get their game in the market. Most of them who work to build games for smartphones and tablets fall in this category. Their promotion is strictly carried out through word of mouth and free advertising over the Internet.

There are some large-scale companies though, that carry out their own developing and publishing operations too. They have the resources to do so, and the best example of such a company is EA Sports.

They were earlier known as DMA Design Ltd., and the company is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The most famous offering by Rockstar North is the Grand Theft Auto Franchise, which is one of the best selling and most popular game series ever. The company has produced around 35 games since its inception in 1988, and these games have featured across a variety of platforms.

EA is perhaps the biggest video game developer and publisher in the world today. It was founded in 1982, and has produced hundreds of games for all possible platforms in this time span.

There are various subsidiaries of EA as well, and each of them caters to a different segment in the video gaming industry. EA is to the video game world, what Apple is to the smartphone world. EA Sports is a major subsidiary that offers sports games, and the FIFA series is the most successful and well-known of the lot.

Ubisoft Entertainment SA is based in France, but it has subsidiaries and development offices all around the world. The company was founded in 1986 and its biggest studio is located in Montreal, Canada.

The number of games available are very vast in number, and there is no gaming platform that they have not catered to. Some of the most famous games by Ubisoft are the Assassins Creed games, the Prince of Persia games, and the Tom Clancy's series of games.

Konami Corporation is based in Japan, and it is one of the video game developers that has come off the boil in the last few years. There are several other industries that the company services, and it is not the video game behemoth that it once was.

The company was founded in 1969 as a jukebox repair and rental company, so there is a lot of history here. The company headquarters is in Tokyo, and out of the hundreds of games that they have produced, the most popular ones today are Metal Gear Solid and Pro Evolution Soccer.

Some more excellent developers are as follows:

• BioWare
• Blizzard Entertainment
• Capcom
• Clover Studios
• Epic Games

• Lucas Arts
• Microsoft Game Studios
• Namco
• Naughty Dog
• Nintendo
• Santa Monica Studios
• Sega
• Sony Computer Entertainment
• Square Enix
• Valve

All of these great developers have been providing us with the best video games for many years now. This is an industry that will never go out of vogue, and as newer platforms hit the market, the demand for these games will only rise. So if you are looking to buy some great video games, look for the ones that are made by them in particular.