Top Video Game Makers

#10 Id Software

Id unofficially started in September of 1990 when John Carmack, Adrian Carmack, John Romero, and Tom Hall created the first game in the Commander Keen series, Invasion of the Vorticons. One month after Commander Keen was released into shareware, John Carmack, Adrian Carmack, and John Romero left their jobs at Softdisk Publishing and officially began Id Software, on February 1, 1991.
As a renown leader in the industry and one of the world's leading developer, Id Software has forged frenetic titles such as Wolfenstein 3-D, Doom, Quake and Rage.
Named for the instinctual part of the human psyche first identified by Freud, Id's software development team continues to shape the future of gaming.
On June 24, 2009, it was announced that the formerly independent Id Software had been acquired by ZeniMax Media Inc., as part of an effort to bring Id's creative output under the umbrella of Bethesda Softworks (creators of the acclaimed Elder Scrolls RPG franchise) and to provide a solid financial foundation for future Id Software developments.

Website: http://www.idsoftware.com

#9 Maxis

Maxis began with Will Wright, a brilliant designer who wanted to bring an unorthodox concept to the world of gaming -- city planning. On paper it sounded dreary. Plan out where your commerce, residential, and industrial areas were going to be built, lay down some pipes, and sleep away a few hours in dulltown. Instead, Wright shocked the world by giving gamers a realistic, entertaining, and educational look at just how fun, frustrating and cool it could be to plan out a city from scratch.
A myriad of sequels were made, covering everything from evolution and ants to building the perfect island, but nothing captured the hearts of gamers as brilliantly as The Sims, a "people simulator" that had users controlling a complicated set of AI people in a suburban environment.
Now part of the Electronic Arts publishing empire, Will Wright and his company continue to pursue the world of real life simulation, and AI.
Website:
http://www.maxis.com

#8 Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard started off as a third-party developer for DOS, Mac, Genesis and SNES platforms, creating games like The Lost Vikings, Rock n' Roll Racing, Blackthorne and The Death and Return of Superman.
Warcraft really carved out a place for Blizzard in the PC entertainment space, making the company one of the premier creator of realtime strategy games. The game's sequel, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, has sold more than two million copies worldwide, and titles like Starcraft and Diablo continue the company's stream of big hits.
Blizzard became part of publisher Havas (which later became Vivendi Universal and Vivendi Games in 1998), where it operated as a subsidiary operation. In December of 2007, Vivendi Games and Activision merged and used the high-profile Blizzard name in the joint company title, Activision Blizzard.
Website:
http://www.blizzard.com

#7 Valve

Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington founded Valve in Kirkland, WA in the mid-late 90s. The company has since grown into one of the most respected developers in the business on the strength of franchises such as Half-Life as well as technology such as the Source gaming engine and the Steam download service.

Website:
http://www.valvesoftware.com

#6 Square

Square (also known as SquareSoft) is a Japanese game company best known for its Final Fantasy series spanning multiple consoles beginning in 1987. The Tokyo-based publisher/developer was founded in 1986 and expanded into the North American market in 1989.
Through a publishing agreement with EA, Square released games under the Square Electronic Arts label in America, while EA released games under the Electronic Arts Square Label in Japan.
Effective April 1, 2003, Square Soft, Inc. and Square Europe Ltd. were renamed to Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. and Square Enix Europe Ltd., respectively. This was in accordance with the company's merger with long-time rival Enix.
Website:
http://www.square-enix-usa.com

#5 Atari

Atari was a leading global publisher and developer of interactive entertainment for both gaming enthusiasts and the mass-market audience. Atari published and distributed games for all platforms. Its diverse portfolio of products extended over every major video game genre, including action, adventure, strategy, children, family, racing, and sports games.
The Atari name is, of course, recognized as iconic in the videogaming business. The former company (Atari Inc., and later Atari Games and Atari Corp.) that started the name existed in various forms and from the mid-1970s to the turn of the millennium. In 2002, French videogame publisher Infogrames Entertainment bought and revived the brand in 2002. In 2003, Infogrames officially moved the Atari brand into a more prominent role as it changed the name of its operations and became officially known as Atari. The company rose to prominence as a major publishing label for several years, but a downturn in its market presence and several failed key titles led the company to file bankruptcy in 2013. The company still publishes titles under the Atari label, although it focuses almost entirely on mobile gaming products at this time.
Website:
http://www.atari.com

#4 Konami

Japanese game publishing and development giant, founded in March 1969 by Kagemasa Kozuki as a jukebox rental/repair business. The company was officially established under the name Konami Industry Co., Ltd. in March 1973. Made famous in the old days for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Contra coin-ops series, and Castlevania, Konami expanded its brands over the years with titles like Metal Gear Solid, NBA In the Zone, NHL Blades of Steel and Silent Hill, as well as a large number of rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution.
Since then, it has successfully grown with increased product franchises and continues to expand its lineup for both the home and coin operated markets. In 1998, Konami became a $700 million dollar publicly traded company in Tokyo. It also has offices in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
Konami first opened a North American office in Los Angeles in 1982. In 1984, the U.S. Headquarters were moved to Chicago so that it could better serve both the home market as well as the growing coin operated business. Konami of America later moved to Silicon Valley and finally settled in Redwood Shores in Northern California.
In 2004, Konami's subsidiaries included KCEO (Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka) and its internal soccer development team Major A, KCEK (Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe), KCE Tokyo, and the Konami Computer Entertainment School in Tokyo. It also invested in companies like Hudson and Takara and operates health clubs and arcade machines.
Website:
http://www.konami.com

#3 Rockstar North

Scotland-based software developer, most famous for the Lemmings series and its obsession with sheep. Originally known as DMA Design, the team later developed such classics as Body Harvest and Silicon Valley and the PC/Dreamcast shooter Wild Metal Country. Then it brought out the most popular game in 2001 and 2002, Grand Theft Auto III, and the rest is history.
DMA was acquired by Rockstar Games in September 1999 and subsequently changed its name to Rockstar North. For game releases under the DMA name, check the DMA Design listing.
Website:
http://www.rockstarnorth.com/

#2 Capcom

Founded in Japan in 1979 as a manufacturer and distributor of electronic game machines. Since then, Capcom has expanded in all areas of the videogame industry and has offices in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan; Sunnyvale, California; London, England; and Hong Kong, China. Additionally, it leases arcade game machines, and most recently has expanded into amusement facility management with the opening of the Nickel City arcades in the US. Capcom established its US subsidiary, Capcom USA, Inc. in 1985. Capcom is headed up by company president Kenzo Tsujimoto.
The company is best known for its blockbuster franchises like Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Breath of Fire, Dino Crisis and the ever-popular Mega Man series, but continues to produce new products at a rapid rate.
Development of Software is now handled by the seven Japanese Production Studios (See Capcom Production Studios 1-7), one American Studio (Capcom Production Studio 8 -- formerlly known as Capcom Digital), and the wholly owned Subsidirary, Flagship. Before the formation of these studios, all software development was handled by Capcom Co. Ltd. Capcom Entertainment is the distribution and publishing branch of Capcom that releases the games to the public. It is not involved in the development process in any way. Other publishing segments of Capcom include Capcom Asia Co. Ltd and Capcom Eurosoft Ltd.
Website:
http://www.capcom.com

#1 Nintendo EAD

Nintendo EAD stands for Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development. This most famous of Nintendo's internal development teams at its Kyoto, Japan, headquarters started out as Nintendo R&D4 (Research and Development 4). In 1989, prior to the release of the Super Famicom (SNES), Nintendo retired the R&D4 code name and renamed the team EAD.
Headed up by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, EA (and R&D4 before it) is behind some of Nintendo's biggest franchises and has emerged as the company's premier development team since the 1990s.
Website:
http://www.nintendo.com