Your Top 5 Video Game Studios

What are those top 5 video game studios that you will pre-order from without a second thought? Mine are:

1. Nintendo
2. From Software
3. Kojima Productions
4. Monolith Soft
5. Level-5

Feels wrong leaving out Square Enix (Final Fantasy Team), I can't believe they can't make my top 5 anymore, considering FF7 is my favourite game of all time :(

Nintendo

Retro

Naughty Dog (Even though they have their misses, their games are usually enjoyable for some dumb fun)

Bethesda

Platinum Games (not their licensed stuff though)

I will just go for these

1. Nintendo
2. Atlus
3. Bethesda
4. Game Freak
5. Naughty Dog

These are my top 5 fav devs (in no order), but I don't know if I'd go as far as to say I'd automatically buy everything they release (but most of them I would)...

• CD Projekt Red
• Valve
• Bioware
• Rockstar
• Playdead

Honourable mentions: Turn 10, Arkane Studios, Moon Studios, Bungie (Halo), 4A Games, Fullbright.

No order

• Bethesda
• Bioware
• Nintendo
• CDPR
• Pre 2009 Blizzard

Nintendo

From Software

Platinum Games

Valve

1. BGS

2. Nintendo

3. Capcom

4. Square Enix

5. Obsidian

How is Nintendo getting mentions? They are not a game developer but a publisher, with a number of studios they have bought out (especially since the start of the 2000s). It's like claiming Sony is a game developer and arguably one of the best if you take into account hit after hit but guess what? They too just own development studios as an umbrella organisation.

Now, CDPR is a developer or SE or Capcom.

Personally, a more accurate question would be "who is your favourite publisher?"

Bethesda

CDPR

Rockstar

Nintendo

DICE

I don't love them that much to Pre order every game they make or buying games at full price . here is my favorites:

Bethesda

Obsidian

Tango

Lucasarts(Despite being dead i still love that company)

I loved Pre 2004 Blizzard much more than what they became after that.

CDPR

From Software

Platinum Games

Nintendo

Atlus

I could do a bigger list though

• Valve
• Obsidian
• Lucasarts
• Shiny
• Id

1. Rockstar North

2. Team ICO

3. Platinum Games

4. From Software

5. Naughty Dog

1. Atlus
2. Team Danganronpa
3. Kojima Productions
4. Valve
5. Nintendo

This makes no sense I'm afraid, they operate in the same way SE and Capcom do, with a number of divisions within Nintendo. By saying Nintendo, we mean the entirety of their development divisions, because they are all that good. We are not saying Retro Studios or Monolith Soft for example, two studios they own, as part of Nintendo.

If I was just to say SE, would I mean their Final Fantasy team? Their Kingdom Hearts team? Their mobile team? Same thing.

@Kusimeka: I take your point about SE, but it gets back to what I said "the more pertinent question is about publishers" because thats what Nintendo and SE and co really do.

With that in mind, Id rank it, based on my lifetime:

Sony

Konami

Nintendo

SE

I guess the order can be changed a bit. Throw in EA too.

Edit: had to do this because I just re read the first post, and my point is even more pertinent. There is no gaming studio called Nintendo. Or in fact, Sony etc. So yep, better and more accurate to talk about publishers.

Well, two of the highest rated games this year were developed by Nintendo, they are not just a publisher. Perhaps we should have said something like "Nintendo Zelda Team", so I do see your point there though.

@Kusimeka: I edited that post with regards to what OP asked.

In terms of publishers (especially those who are an umbrella brand and incorporate many "in house" developers) I don't think Nintendo beats Sony this gen...and maybe not even SE. No doubt Nintendo have critically and commercially hit it out the park with Zelda this year (I think its the best Zelda since N64) and possibly with Mario too. BUt thats after years of Mario and Zelda titles not living up to their predecessors.

Anyway, maybe this all requires a separate thread.

Bethesda

Arkane Studios

Eidos Montreal

CDPR

Bioware

CDPR

Rockstar

Tripwire

Arkane

New World Interactive

I don't really pre-order games though. Relic would have been on the top of this list for a long time but DoW 3 changed that.

Nintendo

Rockstar

Pre 2006 ea

Ubisoft

Volition (saint's row)

1. Machine Games
2. Arkane
3. New World Interactive
4. Tripwire
5. Relic

1. Id software

2. 4A games

3. Io interactive

These are currently best. Valve used to be but they don't make games anymore.

CD projekt red

From Software

Atlus

Larian studios

Pre-merger Squaresoft

Right now:

• Nintendo
• Atlus
• Relic Entertainment
• Platinum Games
• Blizzard

CD project red

Bioware (EA needs to release them from there developer hell)

343

Volition (A shame they as suffering cuts)

Arkhane studios (At least someone knows how to make a game based around stealth)

Capcom

Crystal Dynamics

Tamsoft

Grasshopper

Retro Studios

CDPR

Monolith ( not the Japanese ones but the ones that made Blood, Nolf,middle earth ). Microtransaction controversy aside their track record of great games is impressive (blood,shogo, nolf, AvP, Fear, Condemned, Middle earth)

4A games

Firaxis

Id software

• Atlus
• Capcom
• From Software
• Kojima Productions
• Nintendo

I would include Platinum Games but I haven't played enough games made by them.

What misses by naughty dog exactly?

Nintendo Techmo Fromsoft Capcom Platinum

Not so much my favorite developers but more like they have my favorite ip's.

1 naughty dog 2 santa monica studio 3 rockstar north and san diego 4 querilla 5 from software& Bethesda studios for me

1. Nintendo
2. id Software
3. Retro Studios
4. From Software
5. Bethesda

Sorry Valve and Blizzard. But you suck now.
If Capcom had just stayed awesome as they were in the Okami/Viewtiful Joe/RE4 days, they'd be in like #2 or 3. What they have become is just beyond sad.

Naughty Dog

Bethesda

Ubisoft

Guerilla Games

Capcom

@fastnslowww:

Crash 1 & 2

Jak and Daxter 2 & 3

Uncharted 3 & 4 (though I liked 4 more than 3 by a long shot)

@Kusimeka:

1: Rockstar

2: Double Fine

3-5 - N/A

Only two worth while, the rest makes mass-produced shit to feed the mainstream sheep.

343

Turn 10

Rare

R*

The Coalition. :P

There are a lot of devs I really loved, but they became average at best now. Since this list is for "now", I won't put companies like Sega, Square, Konami, Disney or Campcom on the list. There best times were a long time ago. This is by no means a final list as it probably changes over time with each and every game they make.

1. Nippon Ichi Software: It really doesn't matter what they make, I buy it. I loved every title they made so far. Please do not confuse them with their American publisher called NISA, they do publish a lot of crap. Even though they didn't do much this year, it stays here as I really, really love them.

2. Nintendo: Right now they have an awesome year. Since it's a current list, they have to be 2nd place.

3. Bandai Namco: I'm not really buying everything they make, but they make a lot of fantastic games. I'm sure a lot don't realize how much they make. That they for example make the Tales of series, Tekken series, but also Indies like Little Nightmares or VR games like Summer Lesson. There is so much to love from them.

4. Atlus: Yeah, they're here for Persona ;)

5. Platinum Games: they almost always deliver.

Honorable mentions:

Blizzard (Overwatch is great, Diablo 3 is finally good and Starcraft 2 is awesome. Don't care about Hearthstones and Heroes of the Storm)

Firaxis (Civilization and XCom... do I really need to say more? Civ 6 was my GotY of 2016)

Koei Tecmo (I love the Warriors games, can't get into the Atelier games though)

... I probably missed some ^^

1. SEGA (Can't believe I haven't seen this yet)

2. Nintendo

3. Naughty Dog

4. Atlus

5. Blizzard