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This small group of British developers showed the world that the time of the “bedroom programmers” wasn’t over, and their indie games could compete with the big companies that make up the rest of this list. Their low-budget offerings may at first glance seem to have poor graphics and simplistic gameplay, but once you get playing the unique and charming Darwinia, or the WarGames inspired DEFCON, it’s hard to pull yourself way. Introversion may be part of the inspiration for many of the indie developers we now see flourishing across all platforms over the past few years and going into the future.
Bethesda are responsible for a wide range of games across many genres, but they’re probably best known for their excellent RPGs. These include the fantasy world of The Elder Scrolls series – the most recent of which was Oblivion – and the post-apocalyptic Fallout games, including last year’s Fallout 3. The Elder Scrolls games were among the first to present players with large open environments and give them the freedom to explore, allowing them to do what they want and build characters that are truly their own. This is a trend which has continued and grown to almost all RPGs and even spread out into other genres such as the FPS.
World of Warcraft, the most popular MMO ever made, comes from Blizzard. WoW has well over 10 million active players, making up more than 60% of the MMO subscription market. Whether they try to copy its formula or do something completely different, it seems no other MMO can touch Blizzard’s masterpiece, and their constant flow of content seems to ensure that isn’t going to change any time soon. Blizzard were highly successful even before WoW though, thanks to the rest of the Warcraft series, as well as Starcraft and Diablo.
What Bungie lacks in the diversity of its games, it more than makes up for with the quality of the four – OK, three and a half – parts of the Halo saga. Starting with Halo: Combat Evolved – the original Xbox’s "killer app" as well as one of its launch titles – and continuing to this year’s Halo 3: ODST, the former subsidiary of Microsoft has built up an entire universe around the Master Chief and his war against the Covenant. They have given us one of the most loved, if somewhat confusing, stories ever seen in video games, as well as the most popular multiplayer on Xbox Live. We can’t wait to see what they’ve got for us in the upcoming prequel Halo: Reach.
Those who love to hate video games would undoubtedly disagree with this one. Rockstar are responsible for some of the most controversial games out there - including the Grand Theft Auto series, Manhunt and Bully - but that’s kind of why we love them so much. No matter what the politicians and irresponsible parents say, Rockstar keep pushing the boundaries. The result of this is a constant flow of games which are admittedly not suitable for children but which are fantastic entertainment for their intended adult audience. Despite the controversy, Grand Theft Auto IV sold over 13 million copies worldwide, and all those people can’t be wrong.
Ubisoft is one of the “big three” names in video game development, and when you look at some of the titles they’ve given us, it’s not hard to see why. Thanks to Ubisoft, we’ve had the chance to interact with the fantastic characters of Tom Clancy’s thrilling world of war and espionage, step into the shoes of historical hitmen in Assassin’s Creed and explore massive environments in the FarCry series, to name just a few.
This developer is perhaps mostly associated with one of the biggest game series of the last few years, Gears of War. Some people may not be aware that they are also responsible for most of the Unreal games, the most recent of which is Unreal Tournament 3. All of these are excellent games in their own right, but it is perhaps the engine behind them that we should be most grateful for. Without Epic’s Unreal Engines, many of the most impressive, technically advanced games of the decade – including Mass Effect, BioShock and Batman: Arkham Asylum – would not have been possible.
Infinity Ward are the people behind the majority – and the best – of the immensely popular Call of Duty series of games, including the first two releases set in World War 2 and the more recent outings into the realm of Modern Warfare. While each game may at first seem like yet another first person shooter, IW manage to combine a compelling storyline with an addictive multiplayer experience every time. It’s hard to explain exactly what is so special about them, but this is one developer that never fails to deliver.
This is possibly the most well known name in video games. Although many “true gamers” have traditionally disliked the giant due to their apparent tendency to rush out unfinished games to maximise profit, it’s impossible to ignore their contribution. The names of their games speak for themselves really; EA and its subsidiaries are responsible for The Sims, Mass Effect, Battlefield and most of Command and Conquer series, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For the sports fans, they’re behind the FIFA games, Need for Speed, Madden, Fight Night and many more.
It’s hard to know where to start when describing Valve’s many achievements. In terms of games, they have presented us with one of the most critically acclaimed series in history, Half-Life. The many mods and spin-offs from this series account for some of the most popular games on the PC, and more recently on consoles as well. These include Team Fortress, Portal, Left4Dead and, of course, Counter Strike. However, the games are arguably not even Valve’s biggest contribution to gaming. Thanks to their incredible support for community mods and the Steam content delivery system, hundreds of indie game developers – including Introversion – have been given the chance to share their work with the world. Steam now offers around 1000 games and its growth shows no sign of slowing down.
What about Lionhead and all the work Peter Molyneux has done?
Really? No Nintendo? I kind of...well when you use a Gamecube controller as an article header it's sort of expected. And again...no Sony? These companies between them turned video gaming mainstream. You open with a remark on the companies which have contributed most, yet neglect Sony's PS2 with its mass-market appeal and Nintendo's Wii with its appeal to former non-gamers. These have done far more to change the way we game than some of those listed here.
As for your number one choice...well, I'll say this. I love Valve. Steam is brilliant, their games are brilliant, their relations with their customers are brilliant. But are they that revolutionary in the way they changed gaming? I don't think so. Steam has made gaming on the PC a little easier to get into, and yes, it's certainly something to mention (and I should add has a fantastic sale on at the moment, another plus - No, I don't work for Valve). But was it revolutionary? I don't think so. Have they contributed a lot to gaming? Yes, but almost exclusively on the PC. PC gaming isn't dying, not by any stretch, as anyone from Fragsoc will tell you, but it's increasingly marginalised by consoles. These are where the big numbers are. To neglect developers such as Sony and Nintendo in this (or Microsoft too, with their pioneering online console gaming via Xbox Live) is a gross misdeed. Another thing I've just noticed is the large absence of ANY Japanese developer. I'm no fan of most Japanese games, but they're still arguably some of the most popular out there.
The list here is mostly a matter of opinion, and you state this. Obviously there can be no objective opinion, so I can't really criticise you for your choices, I just think you're overstating a lot and understating far more...
I agree.
Nintendo Wii and their motion controllers and the interactive element and imersion (look at Wii fit)? Sony and Microsoft's HD gaming? Surely these are worthy of mention?
Infinity Ward made MWI and II yet that's two games of any note out of ten years.
I think the title should be renamed to 'best games' rather than actual contributions to the field of games and associated experience that is afforded to the players of games..
Just an opinion..
Thanks for the comments guys, good to finally see some feedback in this section.
This list is definitely just my opinion and probably far from what the majority would say. Nintendo (the controller image wasn't me), Sony and Microsoft certainly have contributed a hell of a lot to gaming, but remember this is a list of developers, and while they do make some games of their own (especially Nintendo) its more their hardware and support that has changed the way we play. Also, Microsoft used to own Bungie, so I kinda covered them. Maybe in the New Year we'll do an article on the big companies and their platforms instead!
As you may be able to tell, I own a 360 and before that played mainly on PC, so perhaps I overlooked some of the Nintendo and Sony based games out there. Obviously this is quite unfair but as I don't have personal experience with the games I couldn't really include their developers in my opinions.
My introduction was probably a bit misleading, this article is primarily about game developers which are independent from the console companies, and the games they have made when considered individually rather than their broader contribution to gaming as a whole. Think of it as "who has made the best games (in my opinion) over the last decade". So yeah, kinda like top 10 games but thanking the people who made them instead.
I really do appreciate the comments and keep them coming, it shows how many great developers there are out there!
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