Game Developer Magazine Ranks Top 50 Devs

by Aaron Linde, Mar 07, 2008 3:44pm PST

Related Topics – xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, PC, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS

Gamasutra sister publication Game Developer magazine today revealed a study ranking the top 50 game development studios worldwide using sales and reputation data.

Studios were assessed using 2007 sales figures, Metacritic review scores, and an anonymous survey distributed to Gamasutra community members which scored game developers on overall reputation.

The ranking situates Nintendo EAD at the top of the list, followed by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC, PS3, X360) developer Infinity Ward and World of Warcraft maker Blizzard Entertainment at two and three, respectively. Shacknews community darling Valve ranked at number five, and BioShock creator 2K Boston appears as 13th.

"Nintendo's incredibly accessible and well-designed games continue to support its hardware success, which is why they reached the Top Developer spot," said Game Developer Magazine publisher Simon Carless. "The mix of Western and Japanese developers in the Top 20 shows a flourishing world ecosystem for game development."

For a full rundown of the top 50, check out the complete list.

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Comments

13 Threads | 36 Comments

#11

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By: MCbigdude x Show Full Post

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i must really be done on sales figures, becasue other than that theres no way infinity ward is ahead of valve.

Mar 07, 2008 4:36pm PST

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i must really be done on sales figures, becasue other than that theres no way infinity ward is ahead of v... : MCbigdude
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  Sold better in 07, more concurrent players. CoD4 changed it up more than Ep2? Maybe they're just biased ... : Avatar
  - Yeah, CoD4 changed a lot. I mean, IT'S A FUCKING M16! Not an M1! I did like MP though, but jesus, ho... : valael
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    More concurrent players than CS? : aeg1x
    - Yes, if you count total players. : Avatar

#35

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By: holinka x Show Full Post

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This is not a Top 50 places to work list.

Mar 09, 2008 4:43pm PDT

This is not a Top 50 places to work list. : holinka

#4

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By: dumptruck x Show Full Post

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I love rankings. So seemingly arbitrary, so FUN.

HAHAHA

Infinity Ward > Bungie
Valve > Epic

Mar 07, 2008 4:17pm PST

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I love rankings. So seemingly arbitrary, so FUN. HAHAHA Infinity Ward > Bungie Valve > Epic : dumptruck
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- yeah, i probably would have put valve and blizz at1 and 2, but it doesn't really matter because all of th... : qwpeoriu
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  Valve IS better than Epic. Epic turns out nothing but shit. The Unreal Engine is a piece of junk. Consume... : crazypsycho
  - C'mon, Epic makes some good games. Best, no, but they're still damn good. The only thing that really bo... : silverback1138

#23

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By: Kazomir x Show Full Post

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These rankings are meaningless anyway but Crytek deserves a higher spot for certain.

Mar 07, 2008 9:03pm PST

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These rankings are meaningless anyway but Crytek deserves a higher spot for certain. : Kazomir
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- I guess the report didn't bother covering all developers out there. Even the high-profile GTA developers ... : code-e255
- I definitely agree that Crytek deserves a higher spot. The issue here is that certain factors that they ... : silverback1138

#24

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By: Judecca x Show Full Post

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You guys are acting like this is "Coolest 50 game developers" or "Top 50 Game Devs who make the best games". This is about sales, ratings, and internal feedback combined.

Just because EAC doesn't seem cool doesn't mean it isn't a great developer. NHL 08 is probably one of the best sports games in years, and FIFA 08 is no slouch either,

Mar 07, 2008 10:10pm PST

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You guys are acting like this is "Coolest 50 game developers" or "Top 50 Game Devs who make the best game... : Judecca
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- Yeah, but look at what did to the Need for Speed series. : leaked
- I wish the Shack had a way to "+1" posts. : zehh

#29

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By: code-e255 x Show Full Post

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Lawl at all the EA sweatshops being rated higher than Relic or Big Huge Games.

Mar 08, 2008 6:00am PST

Lawl at all the EA sweatshops being rated higher than Relic or Big Huge Games. : code-e255

#27

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By: YoYo x Show Full Post

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You guys are missing the point of these rankings - the MAIN GOAL of putting this list out is to get industry types to cough up $3000 US for the full report. So they are gonna want to work the metrics to make sure the top 20 has some "for sures" as well as some "wtfs" - just to attract interest and get more folks to pony up teh cash.

Mar 08, 2008 12:24am PST

You guys are missing the point of these rankings - the MAIN GOAL of putting this list out is to get indus... : YoYo

#1

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By: zerog83 x Show Full Post

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Infinity Ward? #2? really!?

Mar 07, 2008 3:52pm PST

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Infinity Ward? #2? really!? : zerog83
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#7

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By: qtussin x Show Full Post

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I'm surprised id software isn't on the list.

Mar 07, 2008 4:22pm PST

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I'm surprised id software isn't on the list. : qtussin
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  "...using 2007 sales figures..." : Frozen Pixel
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    which is one of several criteria. Seriously, not even in the top 50? : qtussin
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      actually, on the gamasutra website they mention a little bit about edibility and criteria: (which in my o : NoCopy
      
      ugh * eligibility that is : NoCopy
      
      edibility? nomnomnom : SeaLlama

#15

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By: Sageous x Show Full Post

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"Studios were assessed using 2007 sales figures"

If it didn't track subscription, micropayment and online distro sales - then it is wildly incorrect. I don't know what it tracks....but some of those seem kinda 'off'.

Mar 07, 2008 4:40pm PST

"Studios were assessed using 2007 sales figures" If it didn't track subscription, micropayment and onl... : Sageous

#14

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By: deathofrats x Show Full Post

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Holy shit. Tiberon?
EVERYONE i've talked to in the industry has nothing but AWFUL things to say about that place. It's a junior artist churn factory. Since Tiberon is one of two companies in Orlando, and since florida has three or four schools who specialize in game/cg art, they burn through artists and dump them when they start complaining because there is a whole line of fresh meat artists in the area just aching for a job in the industry to take their place.

Unless things have changed in the past few years or so.

Mar 07, 2008 4:39pm PST

Holy shit. Tiberon? EVERYONE i've talked to in the industry has nothing but AWFUL things to say about... : deathofrats

#2

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By: Murdoc. x Show Full Post

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"Studios were assessed using 2007 sales figures, Metacritic review scores, and an anonymous survey distributed to Gamasutra community members which scored game developers on overall reputation. "

So there is a bunch of stuff to back this up... but seriously EA Canada beating Valve? Obsidian even being on that list?

I'll stick with my personal list inside my own head....

Mar 07, 2008 4:08pm PST

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"Studios were assessed using 2007 sales figures, Metacritic review scores, and an anonymous survey distri... : Murdoc.
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  And codemasters, haha. : dravalen
  - Oh snap! Didn't see that one, lol : Murdoc.
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  EA Canada looks to be a pretty awesome place, though... yeah, I dunno. I'm more surprised about Tiburon b... : xsoulbrothax
  - Yeah makes sense, I mean EA Canada turns out shit sports games and the like, but they turn out a lot of i... : Murdoc.

#12

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By: Jabby x Show Full Post

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Go Obsidian!!!

Mar 07, 2008 4:38pm PST

Go Obsidian!!! : Jabby

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