Top 25 All Time Favourite Video Game Developers/Publishers

When you play a video game, many people (myself included) choose to appreciate the work that any developer does with their games. They put their heart and soul into it to try and make it the best game possible, whether its successful or not. Today I'm going to give you 25 of my all time favourite video game developers who have done many great games with some not so great ones too. For this list, all the developers are those that I've played many games that were made by them and are regarded as good with a few bad ones as well and are the ones that often show a sign of care for their fanbase (even if the games they make are just cash grabs more than anything else). So with that said, let's meet these developers:

25 - Electronic Arts (The Sims, Battlefield, countless sports games etc.)

They may be the worst company out there to work for as well as the fact that they do a number of rehashes to their games, but in spite of that, EA have done a fair few games that are great. The picked up the rights for Brutal Legend after Activison dropped out of it and made it a great game, they also gave us Crysis which took the first person shooter to a whole new level, the Medal of Honor games which were a great series of first person shooters as well as a number of other great games too. It is true that EA have now passed their prime with the games released every year being mostly sports games that bro gamers and sport fans care about while the rest of us, do not. But do not forget that they have released a number of good games. Its just these days, they are more about money than games and given the controversy that they have had over the years, they should really stop making rubbish games and give some great ones.

24 - Activision Blizzard (Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Transformers: Cybertron etc.)

Like with EA, Activision Blizzard have way passed their prime now with the Call of Duty games being just a rehash every single time and a lack of work and quality put into their games. But that being said, they were the ones who gave us the World of Warcraft games (which prior to the merger was only a Blizzard series), the later Spyro games (following a constant change of publisher), the Diablo games and so many others. I think if it wasn't for their merge with Blizzard, Activision would've been struggling because even though the Call of Duty games sell, they lack quality and it won't be long before people come to terms with that. A few good games, a few bad games, its a company that you either love or hate and I just like it. I don't love it, I just like it because they lack the quality that is expected in games today (well for the most part anyway), but they have made a few good games in the past.

23 - THQ (de Blob, Destroy All Humans!, various licensed games etc.)

Our first publisher that has since gone bankrupt and had all its assets sold to various other publishers. THQ has been in the business for a while and has been doing a fair number of games which like with EA and Activision Blizzard, have been original games and a few licensed games too. They were the ones that gave us the de Blob games, the Destroy All Humans! games, the Saints Row games, the Darksiders games and they were even set up to publish South Park: The Stick of Truth. But as you can expect, many of these were sold to other publishers following THQ's bankruptcy. But despite that, they have made a number of games for a time and I believe that their franchises are in good hands.

22 - Level-5 (Professor Layton, Inazuma, Little Battlers Experience etc.)

So Level-5. Some of you may not have heard of them so let me tell you about them. They were the ones who gave us the hugely popular Professor Layton games on the Nintendo DS and 3DS/2DS and also gave us the Dark Cloud series, the Little Battlers Experience series, the White Knight Chronicles series and many others. Those names may not be as well known as Professor Layton, but they are known for their diverse range of video games and so far, they have had more success than failure (unlike the former 3) and I look forward to what they do next.

21 - Deep Silver (Dead Island, Metro, Saints Row etc.)

Some of their games may be hit or miss, but being a company that has made over 200 games and is known for acquiring the most assets of THQ, those things are a pretty major thing in itself. Deep Silver are known for making a number of great games, but also play a part in some of the worst games ever made, including Ride to Hell: Retribution. There are the Dead Island games, the Saints Row games (from what THQ left behind anyway), the Risen games and the Metro games to name a few of the games that they publish and develop. Even though they have made a fair few bad games, they are quickly rising to become a much better publisher and developer with some of their more recent games. They still need to learn a thing or two, but otherwise they are doing just fine.

20 - Mojang (Mincraft, Scrolls etc.)

Known to many as the people who made and are currently still supporting Minecraft, Mojang has risen up pretty quickly from its position as an indie developer, and rightly so. Minecraft is unlike any sandbox game that has come before it as it allows you to create your own worlds using the power that is mining. While their game library does lack, they are quickly working to make more games and are currently making their second game Scrolls and I look forward to seeing where they go from there.

19 - Rovio (Angry Birds, Amazing Alex etc.)

Best known for the Angry Birds games, Rovio in the same light as Mojang has risen up very quickly over the course of a few years from being an indie developer and are still going pretty strong with their Angry Birds games. But that's not the only series that they work on as they have also made the games Amazing Alex, the mobile tie in game to the film The Croods, the Angry Birds spin off Bad Piggies and a few other titles too. Its very clear that Angry Birds will always be their baby, but I hope to see more original games from them in the future.

18 - Microsoft Studios (Halo, Fable, Gears of War etc.)

For every console, the manufacturer would generally create a few games for those consoles and in the case of Microsoft Studios, they create games for all Xbox platforms, all Windows platforms and Steam. Now obviously their biggest game which helped the Xbox range move forward is Halo and in addition to that, we also have Fable, Gears of War, Forza Motorsport and what was left of the Banjo-Kazooie games. While this part of Microsoft hasn't had much criticism, their overlords Microsoft have and generally its down to bad decisions and just their way to get money. But as for this publisher, you're fine as you are. Don't ever change.

17 - Valve Corporation (Portal, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead etc.)

Better known as the people behind Portal, Half-Life and Team Fortress 2, Valve have gone a long way since the success of those 3 games and while we're still waiting for Half-Life 3, I can say that their games are unlike anything that you'd ever play before. There's a theory that says that all the Valve games (in particular Portal and Half-Life) share the same universe and having played not all, but most of their games (since I got the complete set of games on that Steam sale earlier this month), I can say that there is plenty of potential of all the games to be in a shared universe. But not only are there games, but they also made the game distribution service called Steam and also gave us one of the best E3 moments where one of the guys comes on stage and talks about the at the time, current state of the industry as a whole. Innovation is what they do and they have done well over the past several years. We just now need Half-Life 3 and then we'll be happy.

16 - Bethesda Game Studios (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout etc.)

Known to many for their Elder Scrolls games and Fallout 3, Bethesda has given us some of the best open world sandbox games to date with Skyrim being regarded as one of the greatest of that genre and Fallout 3 completely changing the experience of the Fallout games, but retaining the game's well known elements. It may not be a rich library of different games, but I believe that Elder Scrolls will always serve as Bethesda's main project for many years to come and I look forward to seeing where the company will go in the future.

15 - BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Star Wars: The Old Republic etc.)

Regarded as the Pixar of the gaming industry, BioWare have made a number of great and well known games and are possibly the only asset to EA that actually make great games as opposed to the rubbish that EA in general make. They are known for having created the Mass Effect games, the Dragon Age games and the Star Wars: Old Republic games all of which are great. However in the greatness that the company makes, they have had some controversy over the years with things like the sex choices in Mass Effect and the ending to Mass Effect 3. But those haven't stopped them from making the great games that they are good at making and as such, because of the success that Mass Effect and Dragon Age have had, BioWare were able to make both games into a franchise so that novels and graphic novels and even films would be made and they have since been big all over to gamers. Now we just need Mass Effect 4 and then we'll be happy.

14 - 2K Games (BioShock, Mafia, various sports games etc.)

2K may sound like a company who make a lot of sports games, but that's not the only thing that they have made. Being allied with Rockstar who in turn is an asset of Take-Two Interactive (as is 2K) is kind of a big thing and among the many sports games, there have also been a few original and iconic titles such as the very bizarre but innovative BioShock series and the open world series based on things in the gangster genre Mafia (though many of us will know the sequel better). But I think its fair to say that 2K are better known for their original games than their sports games which in my eyes, is the right way to go and at least some effort is put into those sports games to make them fresh and unique which unlike EA, feels right, especially as the games themselves aren't rushed which is how it should be.

13 - LucasArts (Monkey Island, Star Wars, Indiana Jones etc.)

They may now only be a licensor, but back in the day, this company was the reason why Star Wars is so darn popular. You'd think that the films made it popular, but no. Its the games that made Star Wars more than just films and into a well established and beloved franchise that will forever have a place in many of our hearts. But of course, LucasArts aren't only known for just their Star Wars games as they have also made the iMUSE engine and played a part in the creation of the Sam & Max and Monkey Island games and they are great at what they do. Those 2 games however, lead me onto the next publisher/developer.

12 - Telltale Games (Tales of Monkey Island, The Walking Dead, Sam & Max etc.)

So after Disney made some changes to LucasArts following the acquisition of the company and the Star Wars license, many of the employees then went to Telltale games where the Sam & Max and Monkey Island games would continue in an episodic format which is what the company is known for. They generally don't make original games, but rather hand-pick a few beloved franchises and make an episodic series of games out of them. Among these different franchises include the two that I said previously, Wallace & Gromit from Aardman, The Walking Dead from Image Comics and 20th Television, CSI from King World Productions and CBS, Jurassic Park and Back to the Future from Universal and many other well known and beloved franchises. They are the masters at the point and click genre and the episodic genre as well and I look forward to see what they do next.

11 - Konami (Metal Gear, Castlevania, Dance Dance Revolution etc.)

Back in the early days of the video game industry, the industry's biggest video game publishers and developers all resided in Japan. Among them is Konami who have given us the Metal Gear games, the Castlevania games, the Frogger games, the Silent Hill games and even licensed games like ones based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Yu-Gi-Oh! to name but a few of the big library of games that they have to offer. They have also done some work with some of Nintendo's franchises which must have been a great honour for them, considering that Nintendo played a part in making what the industry is today. Innovative games that got fanbases all over the world, Konami is one developer who knows hoe to treat their fans.

10 - Disney Interactive Studios (Infinity, Epic Mickey, various film licensed games etc.)

Now before any of you start to rant about why this is on the list, hear me out first. While I've never truly been a big fan of licensed games that served as tie ins to films, Disney's library of games is one of the few exceptions that I will make. Many of their games are not good, that I will admit. But there have been a few that are considered good if not, great. These games come in the form of Epic Mickey, Star Wars: Battlefront, Disney Infinity, Spectrobes, Split/Second and of course, Kingdom Hearts. Those series of games that I have mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg of the many games that Disney have made. Now among the licensed tie in games that are out there, Disney have made some of the best which include The Emperor's New Groove, Aladdin (all of them), LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean and Tarzan as well as a huge variety of PC point and click games and software too. Whatever you think of them, the magic of the films is there in the games as well which is the way it should be.

9 - Rockstar Games (Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead, Max Payne etc.)

Well what can I say about Rockstar? I mean every single game that they have ever released has been well recieved by pretty much everyone. That is expect for countless politicians who waste time and money just to tell everyone that the games Rockstar make are a bad influence on people whereas the general public see the games in a whole different perspective. Its a case of whether they agree or disagree with politicians. Now among these great but controversial games is the GTA series which is described as a parody of real life as the games are a satire of real life problems and situations. Then there's Red Dead which is described as GTA, but set in western times and is less of criminal activity and more on things that happen in the west. Then we have Max Payne which unlike the big GTA and Red Dead games, is in some way a satire of action films with exposition. But in light of all this, all the games that Rockstar have made for many years, have generally received critical acclaim and there is a reason why they release games every once in a while. Its because unlike some developers and publishers, they want to make sure that everything in the game works and is dusted and polished before release. Take note, this is how you make a game which isn't rushed and is given the right amount of time given for it to be made.

8 - Bandai Namco (Pac-Man, Tekken, Soulcalibur etc.)

Known for the creation of Pac-Man and also assisted in the development of the most recent game in the Smash Bros. series, this publisher is another one of the great ones in Japan who were there in the beginning. Not only did they make Pac-Man, they also made Tekken, Dark Souls, Soul and the video game adaptations of Dragon Ball Z, One Piece and Naruto. They definitely know their stuff and they definitely know how to make great games and make iconic characters just like any game developer strives to do.

7 - Capcom (Megaman, Ace Attorney, Devil May Cry etc.)

While their DLC practises are questionable, Capcom is there for those of us wanting a fight. They are the ones who gave us Megaman, Street Fighter, Ace Attorney, Devil May Cry, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil and so many others. They also played a part in getting Marvel's characters onto video games and have been in the business since the beginning. However much like with Nintendo, they have been criticised for them heavily relying on their already established franchises, often making games of those franchises that nobody wants which can be anything from new instalments that competently miss the point of what the series is all about and remakes that spit at the old games. Still though, they have made a number of great games and if it wasn't for them, some of YouTube's biggest gaming stars wouldn't be where they are today.

6 - SEGA (Sonic the Hedgehog, Bayonetta, Super Monkey Ball etc.)

So during the early days of the industry, SEGA often made not only games, but also hardware such as the Mega Drive/Gennisis, the Game Gear and the Dreamcast. But after the Dreamcast, they then went to multi-platform and its paid off for the most part. They were the ones that had Sonic the Hedgehog as their mascot which even though its way past its prime, did have a good run. In addition, SEGA also made Samba De Amigo, Super Monkey Ball, Virtua Fighter, House of the Dead, Phantasy Star, Crazy Taxi and also had the publishing rights to Bayonetta to name but a few of their many games. Always the competitor of Nintendo and always striving to make great games, SEGA is here in case people decide to go for Sonic over Mario.

5 - Square Enix (Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Hitman etc.)

In the early days of this company, Square Enix generally made RPG games and have since mastered the genre with their Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts games. In more recent years, they have taken over the IPs that former studio Eidos Interactive once had and among them, there's Tomb Raider, Hitman, Deus Ex, Thief and Legacy of Kain to name just a few. While RPG will always be the genre that they are good at, with all these games at their disposal, they can be more than just RPG game developers. These guys know about quality and as such, will strive to have all their games to have more quality than quantity and will make sure to allow the games enough time to be made, which is how its mean't to be. And let me just say, you will not get any better crossover game than Kingdom Hearts because with the game having Disney, Final Fantasy and The World Ends With You characters, its just brilliant. No question about it. Confusing yes, but brilliant.

4 - WB Games (LEGO, Batman: Arkham, Mortal Kombat etc.)

So much like with Disney, WB also gets criticism for games based on films that are to serve as tie in media. But unlike Disney, they have had a lot of success with games that are not directly tie ins to any of WB's films but rather entries in already established franchises within them. This includes DC, Harry Potter, Middle-Earth and Matrix which are already well established within WB but as well as them, we also get the Mortal Kombat games (well the later ones at least, following the original developer's merge with WB) and the LEGO games (specifically those created by TT Games). They certainly know how to create games based on well established and beloved franchises and make them worthy of being there for the fans which is great. Can't wait to see where they go in the next few exciting years.

3 - Ubisoft (Rayman, Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs, Prince of Persia, Far Cry etc.)

So last year was considerably the worst year for Ubisoft. Watch Dogs wasn't up to scratch with its gameplay and graphics, Assassin's Creed Unity's many glitches and lack of anything new following the previous instalment among many other things. But despite that, Ubisoft have had a pretty good run and are still going today. As well as Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs, they have also given us Far Cry, Prince of Persia, Beyond Good & Evil, the Tom Clancy games, Just Dance, but most importantly, Rayman. They have explored a wide range of genres for all the games they have made and always intend to give players an education about life and what not which is what they do in games like Assassin's Creed (where history is their playground), Watch Dogs (which teaches you the good and bad sides of hacking) and Far Cry (which teaches you that the world isn't all safe) which in all honesty, is how any if not all forms of media are intended to do. To give people something out of it and that's what's important.

2 - Sony Computer Entertainment (Uncharted, Ratchet & Clank, LittleBigPlanet etc.)

When I first got my PS3, I was immediately loving what Sony were creating with their games. They have quite an impressive set of assets and in turn, an impressive and rich library of games. Among these games, there is Shadow of the Colossus, Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, Sly Cooper, God of War, Uncharted, Infamous, The Last of Us, Knack, Killzone, Resistance, Crash Bandicoot, the list goes on. Yes people, this company was the reason why the PlayStation consoles are worth your money. There is hit after hit on the machine and its all about the quality and not quantity. None of the games are rushed and despite the hacks and controversy, many of us still are part of their massive and continually growing PlayStation Network and the gaming world wouldn't be where they are today without them. But my number 1 choice might say otherwise.

Before number one, I think I've pretty much covered all the most well known developers and publishers which I have played games from and have enjoyed playing their games so let's look at my number one choice who serves as the home of a certain plumber:

1 - Nintendo (Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Kirby etc.)

Now Nintendo may have passed their prime since the Wii U came out, but they have been in the business the longest out of everyone here with some of the previously mentioned companies who are based mainly in Japan coming in as a near second or third. They have made countless platforms, majority of them being successful and a handful of them, not so much. They are also the home for Super Mario. Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Pokemon (well at least the publishing and distribution rights anyway), Metroid, StarFox, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, WarioWare, Kid Icarus, F-Zero, MOTHER/Earthbound and so many others. They are the reason why I became a gamer in the first place and as a gamer, I wouldn't have been able to get into games if it wasn't for them and despite them passing their prime, I'm pretty sure that they still have a few surprises up their sleeves which as we all know, is what Nintendo is good at and that's why its my number 1 all time favourite video game publisher and developer.