Ever Wondered Which Companies Are Behind The Best PC Games In The World?
With PC gaming more popular than ever, sometimes the amount of games available to play can be a little overwhelming. That’s why if you want to be assured you’re getting a quality product, you need to read up on the 17 best developers and publishers around today. Who will be number 1? Read on to find out!
17. Blizzard
Founded - 1991
Headquarters - Irvine, California
Best Games - World of Warcraft, Starcraft 2, Diablo
As the creators of some of the most iconic MMO’s of all time, Blizzard Entertainment (originally Silicon & Synapse) has enjoyed a lengthy tenure as a powerhouse of video gaming. After their first breakthrough hit in Warcraft: Orcs and Humans in 1994, Blizzard began to see unrivaled popularity with the creation of the Starcraft and Diablo series. With their newest title Overwatch continuing to climb up the sales charts, fans have come to expect only the best from this studio.
16. Bethesda
Founded - 1986
Headquarters - Rockville, Maryland
Best Games - Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored
One of the more talked about game companies for the past few years, Bethesda has seen a string of recent successes by publishing the latest entrants into the Fallout and Doom franchises. In 1986, Bethesda created what is considered to be the first physics-based sports simulation with Gridiron!. They have since shifted away from the sports genre, and are now more well known for their gripping and dynamic RPG’s.
15. Ubisoft
Founded - 1986
Headquarters - Rennes, France
Best Games - Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
Coming into the scene at the same time as Bethesda, Ubisoft has cemented themselves in the video game industry with their mix of action and adventure titles. Considered to be the third largest independent publisher in the world, Ubisoft boasts 29 studios in 19 countries, with their largest studio calling Montreal home. For having such a large international presence, Ubisoft actually began as a family affair, as it was founded by five brothers who shared a passion for gaming.
14. Valve
Founded - 1996
Headquarters - Bellevue, Washington
Best Games - CS GO, Dota 2, Half Life, Left 4 Dead
Founded by former Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington, Valve has become the king of PC gaming, creating some of the largest and most popular online games to date. Most well-known for developing digital distribution platform Steam, Valve games Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 are two of the most frequently streamed (and viewed) games on Twitch.tv, and run off of the Source engine, which they also created.
13. CD Projekt S.A.
Founded - 1994
Headquarters - Warsaw, Poland
Best Game - The Witcher
Inspired by a childhood spent selling “cracked” copies of Western video games in Poland, founders Marcin Iwiński and Michal Kiciński decided to create their own game studio in order to localize games for Polish audiences. More than a decade later, the now expanded company produced their first game, The Witcher, and began immediately on a sequel. Now, CD Projekt S.A. are considered to be one of the hottest developers around thanks to the immense success of the Witcher 3.
12. Riot Games
Founded - 2006
Headquarters - Los Angeles, California
Best Game - League of Legends
Certainly one of the newer companies on this list, Riot only has four games to their name, but when one of those games happens to be the most popular title in the world today, I guess that’s all you need. League of Legends draws over 65 million players per month as of 2014, and tournaments for the title are known for incredibly large prize pools, with the 2015 edition including a $2.3 million prize pool.
11. Rockstar Games
Founded - 1998
Headquarters - New York City, New York
Best Games - Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne
Responsible for publishing one of the most successful video game franchises of all time in Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar heads Sam and Dan Houser tend to shy away from the spotlight, placing attention on their titles rather than each other. Whatever they’re doing seems to be working, seeing as Grand Theft Auto V is the current record holder as the fastest selling entertainment product in history, amassing over $1 billion in sales just three days after launch.
10. Relic Entertainment
Founded - 1997
Headquarters - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Best Games- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, Company of Heroes 2
Although it’s not uncommon for there to be video game adaptions of existing media, very little companies have done it with the success Relic has enjoyed. Their adaption of the tabletop miniature game Warhammer 40,000 has sold over 7 million copies worldwide, and is renowned for its innovative gameplay by gamers and critics alike. On the other side of the spectrum, Relic’s Company of Heroes franchise utilizes an in-house game engine, and has been well received, to the tune of over 5 million copies.
9. Paradox Development Studio
Founded - 1995
Headquarters - Stockholm, Sweden
Best Games - Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings
Mainly known for their contributions to the “grand strategy game” genre, Paradox Development Studio functions as two parts of a whole: Paradox Interactive creates the above mentioned titles, while Paradox Entertainment focuses more on board and role-playing games. Thanks to the versatility of their Clausewitz game engine, game modders need only a text file to create brand new additions to Paradox titles, with one such instance evolving into a standalone game based off of the Hearts of Iron series.
8. BioWare
Founded - 1995
Headquarters - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Best Games - Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
While most people that start a video game studio tend to be programmers by trade, BioWare was founded by three medical school graduates from the University of Alberta. After being acquired by Electronic Arts in 2007, the company shifted into the role playing genre of games, beginning the highly successful Mass Effect series the same year, and releasing Dragon Age: Origins in 2009. The latest installment of the Mass Effect series, Andromeda, will be arriving in the first quarter of 2017.
7. Capcom
Founded - 1979
Headquarters - Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan
Best Games - Street Fighter, Resident Evil
One of the most iconic game developers of all time, Capcom is no stranger when it comes to creating multi-million dollar franchises. Finding their roots in coin operated arcade games, Capcom went on to create both Street Fighter and Mega Man in 1987, setting up the company for continued success into the 21st century, with Street Fighter V taking the main stage at the Evolution Championship series in July. Resident Evil has enjoyed both commercial success as a game and film franchise, and is considered genre defining for it’s horror based gameplay.
6. Telltale Games
Founded - 2004
Headquarters - San Rafael, California
Best Games - The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us
Unlike many of the other companies on this list, Telltale have focused their efforts on delivering episodic gaming, focusing primarily on choice being a key determinant in the each game playthrough’s outcome. Toting a very distinguishable graphical feel, most Telltale games are adaptations of existing properties, with one of their most popular titles, The Wolf Among Us, serving as an adaption of the Fables comic book series.
5. Square Enix
Founded - 1975 (as Enix), 1983 (as Square), 2003 (as Square Enix)
Headquarters - Shinjuku, Tokyo
Best Games - Final Fantasy, Sleeping Dogs
While Square Enix was technically founded in 2003, it seems wrong to place that as the start date of one of the oldest companies in gaming today. Creators of one of the world’s most recognizable video game franchises in the world, Final Fantasy, Square Enix rakes in hundreds of billions of dollars a year through its own IP’s, and through the sales from Eidos Interactive, publishers of Hitman, Tomb Raider, and Deus Ex.
4. Electronic Arts
Founded - 1982
Headquarters - Redwood City, California
Best Games - Battlefield 1, Fifa 17
EA serves as one of the more double edged swords on this list: while they seemingly always find themselves in controversy, their games are among some of the most played and well received in the industry. Known for their perennial game production, EA serves as the parent company for another organization on this list, BioWare, and is currently the fourth-largest gaming company by revenue. Their upcoming title, Battlefield 1, is the highest rated trailer in YouTube history.
3. Activision
Founded - 1979
Headquarters - Santa Monica, California
Best Games - Call of Duty
One of the largest (and considered to be the original) third party video game publishers in the world, Activision has developed a slew of franchises for almost every genre under the sun, including rhythm, action, sports, strategy, and many more. While their Call of Duty franchise receives generally positive reviews, critics of more recent games have noted the lack of originality in past iterations, prompting Activision to re-release the original Modern Warfare with their newest game, Infinite Warfare.
2. Firaxis Games
Founded - 1996
Headquarters - Sparks, Maryland
Best Games - Civilization, XCOM
It’s hard to talk about Firaxis Games without talking about perhaps the most eponymous name in gaming: Sid Meier. Plastered on titles ranging from the American Civil War to pirate warfare, Firaxis is perhaps most known for its Civilization games, in which players shape the course of history by taking control of any nation of their choosing. In addition, their two XCOM games, centered around a mix of third person shooting and strategy, have been met with high critical acclaim.
1. Crytek
Founded - 1999
Headquarters - Frankfurt, Germany
Best Games - Ryse: Son of Rome, Crysis 2, HUNT: Horrors of the Gilded Age
You know when PC companies include slides in the presentations entitled “But Can It Run Crysis?” you’re doing something right. Crytek is known for consistently pushing the boundaries of PC gaming with their games featuring cutting edge graphics and detail oriented environments, thanks to their in-house game engine, CryEngine. With one of their newest titles (HUNT: Horrors of the Gilded Age) being developed alongside the latest installment of CryEngine, gamers are in for a treat.
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