Harmonix not in top 5 = no care.

Nintendo Kyoto (Brain Age, Wii Play)...surely they could pick some games that describe there output better than bloody wii play?
That said seeing as brain training never leaves the charts I can understand them being up there....

I am jBat17 and I approve this list.

If sales data is a factor, Nintendo Kyoto were always gonna be number 1

Where in the HELL is Naughty Dog: makers of Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter and UNCHARTED!!!!!

Seems like a decent list. Would move people around and also put Capcom in the top 20, but that's about it.

Whoops, I can't read for shittydoo. I see Capcom there, my bad.

NO FASA? boo!

Really? There's fifty good developers out there?

@issa3032:
They don't make Crash anymore and this list is based on how well the developers games sell...I think...that would be why bungie and EA canada and BLOODY hudson soft is up there

@issa3032: Naughty Dog is number 27, I'm also thinking this is based on sales as much as quality of the product.

Ok I have to correct myself it's based off of a lot of different topics, such as review scores, releases per platform, reputation survey and a detailed survey. I guess if naughty dog released more games in 2007 then maybe they would be higher on the list.

Square Enix and Bioware. Nice.

The full list is in the public TOC at [www.gamedevresearch.com]

I love all my Kotaku Kommentor brethren, but could we get some RFA please, guys (and gals)?

The study weights sales, "reputation" (via anonymous survey), and metacritic rankings to create a kind of "grand unified developer ranking" which is empirical.

Feel free to argue the methodology, but at least know what you're incensed about first.

The fact that EA Canada is one higher than Valve puzzles me.

The fact that Atlus Co. isn't on that list makes me cry.

Also, Hudson? Really? Because Mario Party 8, Mario Party DS and Every Party were really that great? *confused as hell*

Polyphony Digital should be up there too because apparently they have sold 47.1 million copies of the Gran Turismo series according to VGChartz.com

@issa3032:

Thanks Kaz :(

EA? /sigh

not why ppl think harmonix deserve to be in top 5. consider they basically just ripped off guitar freak and beatmania....

Thank fuck they ranked Nintendo at No.1, and lulz at EA placing higher than Valve. Fan boys, start your engines!

Go Canada!

WTF!!!! Let me get this str8 here... if you release a beta build and pass it off as a finished product that is full of glitches and bugs you get 9th freaking place????? Naughty Dog releases an epic masterpiece like Uncharted and they don't even crack the top 20??? This is total bullshit. These mother f'ers are completly clueless.

i'd say the real story here is infinity ward... they hit a home run with cod4.
although i don't disagree with this study, i would have to say some of it disappoints me.
for example: i don't think EA deserve 2 top ten positions. i don't really think hudson soft should be high up, and although i like my pokemon, i don't really think game freak are worthy of their spot either.
but it's a good list, and by the sounds of it, well thought out.
good stuff.

@aurahack: Atlus is more publisher then developer. They take quirky Japaneses games, localize them, and ship very very tiny quantities so we're guaranteed to pay premium prices when it hits store shelves. I wish they'd ship more.

@kingmanic: Actually Atlus is a proper developer. Since they do the Persona series.

Not to mention have a HUGE library for the Shin Megami series back in Japan.

"'Top 50 Developers' survey is now available for paid digital download for a price of US $2,995. Any questions about payment (you can also invoice us for this report), delivery methods, or further licensing of the data can be directed to Game Developer Research at research@gdmag.com"
-[www.gamedevresearch.com]

@Witzbold:
I don't deny they are a developer as well. But by number of titles, they publish more then develop. By volume of software sold they are pretty close.

pretty good list

As long as it's primarily based in sales and critic scores this list is flawed. There are so many other factors that go into sales and scores other than developer talent.

I would trust a top 20 list written by most people here over a list like this, put together by a magazine that could be influenced by industry presence and politics.

The enthusiast gamers are the ones that go into every nook and cranny and appreciate every detail a developer has put into a game. We know which game concepts have been refined, which games have innovated and we know to what degree these games have moved the medium forward; based on a deep knowledge of previous titles and mechanics.

I guess what I'm saying is base it on the games where the talent and style of the developer oozes through the gameplay and content. This is how we rate great film directors and musicians, and I think it's how we should rate developers.

Valve = #1. No arguments.

Blizzard should be above infinity ward. Everything they've made since warcraft 2 has been a runaway success, and they they took the MMOs from a niche genre to the mainstream. They need their own "it prints money" graphic.

Valve should be higher also.

@kingmanic:

This is true, however, they do in-house the Shin Megami Tensei series, which includes last year's masterpiece RPG known as Persona 3. That game alone should net them a top 20. The fact that the NASCAR developer made it there instead makes me sad.

Valve should be lower and Insomniac should be #1.

Neversoft? Sweet merciful god are you CRAZY? Mediocre Tony Hawks since Underground (and others feel it goes even further back than that), the atrocious display on Guitar Hero 3?

Badly put together list. They've looked at what sells and stuck it together. The researchers obviously need a raise so they actually BOTHER to do their job.

Can't wait to see what my bf thinks of this list. Atlus should be nearer the top of this list, but meh. As only a casual gamer, I can't really give any other opinion. I just know that I enjoyed the latest Persona outing quite a bit.

@Buttah:

"Valve should be lower.."

I didn't even think it was possible to be so wrong.

@Menolly: I love to death the majority of Atlus games. Quirky and insanely deep tends to be their hallmark. Right up there with Blizzard, Bioware, Square Enix, and Konami for me. Although if you took a pie chart of all the time I spent gaming, it's be more then half blizzard. Damn you makers of thinly veiled skinner-machine crack.

Where is Data Design Interactive??? They should at least be in the top 20 of developers, if not top 10!!! This list is a joke!!!

@ kingmanic: I've been dating a gamer/ otaku for over 2 years now. I've played a few games, but mostly watch him play. (he's lucky to date someone that doesn't bitch about his gaming habit)
Anyway, since a friend suggested I visit here, I am getting more into a gaming mindset. I'm learning more, and seeing games that I think I'll really enjoy playing.

@Astrofox:

"I would trust a top 20 list written by most people here over a list like this, put together by a magazine that could be influenced by industry presence and politics."

You would trust a list to be what? A market research document with an empirical backing targeted towards industry, not consumer, wants so that it's likely distributors and developers would pay $3,000 a shot for a .pdf download?

Wow. I sure wouldn't.

Anyone here (even the Kotaku staff) is an enthusiast. Therefore almost by definition we care almost exclusively about the games (and, frankly, a subset of games... look at the "love" for Mario Party and other top-selling "mass market" series). Period.

This study is interesting as a reminder that enthusiast interest is not "the industry" (nor it should be), and that's about it.

hmmm, for lack of edit button: Portal did kick all sorts of ass, though. I even made my bf, and his 17 yo nephew custom shirts. I took the graphic of the cake at the end, and put it on a black tee. On the front, it says The Cake is a LIE, and has a cake pic. The back reads Moist and Delicious Cake. It was a big hit with both of them, and our friends.

Wow... no surprises whatsoever...

I love how Blizzard came in at number 3 though, despite riding entirely on the success of WoW. They've always proved that putting that little bit of extra time and care into your games pays off a lot more than shoveling out crap games for housewives onto the best selling platforms.

I'm sorry, but I don't buy Infinity Ward being #2 on this list. Sure, I love me some COD 4 like almost everyone else, but let's be real. For one, they don't even have the portfolio to match up with many of the developers they are in front of on this list. (Like, how the hell is Infinity Ward higher than Blizzard? Or Square Enix? Or Valve?) Secondly, while I totally respect I.W., they have not been a development house long enough to have a reputation that eclipses that of many of the developers on that list. Let's face it, Infinity Ward has made three good FPS's, all in the same franchise. They're not world-beaters, to say the least.

To be honest with you, I don't even know if I would put I.F. in front of Bungie, and Bungie definitely is not a top-5 developer by any stretch of the imagination.

I disagree with almost everything on this list.

I think Witz agrees with me Super Villain Wins #1
.. just cause of their company logo.

[www.supervillainstudios.com]

@thebigsmoke: This list is claiming to be the top 50 game developers, regardless of whether they are selling their data. I am critiquing this list based on it's claim.

I believe developers should be treated as auteurs and rated as such in game concept, art design and technology.

You seem favor a list of developers as companies outputting a commercially successful product.

@djkibblesnbits:

I'm pretty sure one of the big criteria for the rankings is the "Recent" game release. and cod4 beatdown halo 3, and that's why blizzard isn't #2, because the only recent release from blizzard is the expansion for wow.

not mention bungie did much less than IW in ways of improvement and innovation. Cod4 is a much different game than cod2 in term of multiplayer experience while halo 3 is just a rehash of halo 1.

I also argue as to why I.W. has #2 on this list. Riding on 1 franchise does not make you the best of the best.

@aurahack: ever see the sales for MP8 and MPDS in japan? Stellar.

@Zippidydoodaa: it does when it's Call of Duty 4.

@thegreatseal: tonight on AOTS's "EPIC FAIL" segment...

@ErskinPig: Actually, it looks like they argue with you quite fully. Not saying I agree or not, but... Yup, they're definitely arguing.

#1 with only bundled games under their belt? I don't think they'd rank as high if the Brain Ages and Wii Play were not *given* to consumers.

Infinity Ward could announce a new game franchise tomorrow and get some nice internet buzz. Blizzard could announce they are selling punches to the face for $50 and rack up 5 million preorders overnight.

bioware edmonton FTW!

Did anyone dl the sample .doc file on Ubisoft. The responses to the reputation survey they list cracked me up.

For Example.
"Game Sweat Shop"
"They embody the best and worst of the game studios. Creative and passionate people, but they bring the immaturity with it. These immature people become directors and leads, and treat english speaking employees like second class citazens."

As some more info on this the reputation survey is done by people in the industry and what they think about the company as an employer.

Also Ubisoft Montreal had nearly 20 releases this year.

The word reputation is fairly malleable, so it can mean a whole bunch of different things...

I'm happy to see Insomniac made the cut, but my first question is whether employee satisfaction is taken into consideration in the rankings...

what? why EA canada?

Here is the full list BTW if anyone is interested:

[www.gamedevresearch.com]

9. Electronic Arts Tiburon (Madden NFL 08, NASCAR 08)

You're kidding right? This list is stupid :/