All the best games ever made have to come from somewhere, and if it wasn't for the talent, ambition, and creativity of their developers, many iconic franchises simply wouldn't exist. The gaming world is more crowded than ever, with an ever-expanding roster of new developers trying their hand at the craft. Yet there are a select few video game developers that seem to do no wrong, consistently putting out exceptional games every chance they get.
Best Games That Made Their Developers Household Names
These games performed so well critically and commercially that they launched their developers into the mainstream.
There are seasoned companies with several decades of experience under their belts, and even newer devs that have managed to make a name for themselves in a short amount of time. Whatever the background and whatever the games being made, when certain studio names are attached to a new release, players know they are in for a real treat.
FromSoftware
Pioneering A Whole New Genre
- Date Founded
- November 1, 1986
- Headquarters
- Tokyo, Japan
- CEO
- Hidetaka Miyazaki
- Parent Company
- Kadokawa
- Known For
- King's Field, Dark Souls, Armored Core
FromSoftware has quickly become a household name in the gaming world, with their logo alone speaking volumes at every gaming event they have appeared in. In the early days, they found relative success with King's Field and later Armored Core, but what they are best known for is creating the Soulslike genre, crafting a library of exceptional games that ignited a wave of successors.
Best FromSoftware Games, Ranked
FromSoftware's long roster of games is full of excellence. From Dark Souls to Armored Core 6 and Nightreign, here's how the best titles rank up.
From Dark Souls to Bloodborne, and, of course, Elden Ring, they are the only current developer with two Game of the Year awards from the Game Awards, among a slew of other accolades. Their ambition and drive for excellence continue to break down boundaries, and even 40 years on, the company continues to release exceptional titles across a range of genres and settings.
Rockstar Games
The Forerunner For Open-World Design
- Date Founded
- December 22, 1998
- Headquarters
- New York, New York, United States
- CEO
- Sam Houser
- Parent Company
- Take-Two Interactive
- Known For
- Grand Theft Auto
Rockstar Games is easily one of the biggest game companies on the planet, and that title comes not from releasing dozens of games as quickly as possible, but from taking its time and crafting worlds that players can exist in for many years to come. Their success has been driven primarily by Grand Theft Auto and its various sequels and spin-offs, which have remained at the top of many players' all-time favorite lists even decades later.
The catalog doesn't stop there, with more single-player epics like Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire, both defining large segments of the gaming world during the 2010s. Their dedication to realism and immersion knows no bounds, and with such a clean track record, any new game they release will have more hype than any other game could ever hope to draw.
Santa Monica Studio
Bringing Gods Into Reality
- Date Founded
- 1999
- Headquarters
- Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Parent Company
- PlayStation Studios
- Known For
- God of War
Santa Monica Studio is a name that is only really associated with one series: the iconic God of War games, a franchise that dominated the late-2000s action space and remains a household name over two decades on. But their involvement stretches far beyond the mythological world of beasts and deities, with several indie icons being developed externally from the main team.
They have helped to develop and publish games like Journey and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, demonstrating their eye for great ideas and their passion for seeing others succeed in the gaming space. Their main focus remains on the story of Kratos, and only time will tell how his tale will continue in the future, or if Santa Monic Studio will choose to move in a completely different direction.
Supergiant Games
Turning Indie Games Into Global Phenomena
- Date Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- San Jose, California, United States
- Known For
- Hades
Indie games have exploded in success over the past decade, and one of the biggest names leading the charge is Supergiant Games. Their development journey began with Bastion, an ARPG set in a beautifully painted world. That first success allowed them to move on to new projects like Transistor and Pyre, each carrying the same DNA that made their first game so impressive while experimenting with new and creative gameplay systems.
Today, after several moderate wins in the indie space, they have exploded in popularity with Hades and its sequel, gifting players with arguably two of the best roguelikes ever made and opening the doors for new developers to follow suit. Quite a few new games take heavy inspiration from Supergiant's art style and gameplay philosophies.
Hazelight Studios
Unforgettable Co-Op Adventures
- Date Founded
- 2014
- Headquarters
- Stockholm, Sweden
Hazelight is a very young studio that has managed to garner a huge amount of attention with only three games under its belt. Beginning with A Way Out, the developer is hugely invested in telling tales of full cooperation, building worlds that demand teamwork and coordination at all times, whilst still having emotional stories at their core.
The big break came with It Takes Two, a game that practically redefined the entire co-op space, for which Hazelight rightfully won Game of the Year. The studio's latest hit, Split Fiction, continues the trend of split-screen action, only this time the action is even crazier, showing that with enough whimsy, anything is possible in the world of gaming.
Naughty Dog
Demonstrating The Power Of Well-Written Narratives
- Date Founded
- September 9, 1989
- Headquarters
- Santa Monica, California, United States
- CEO
- Neil Druckmann
- Parent Company
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Studios
- Known For
- Crash Bandicoot, The Last of Us, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted
Naughty Dog is a name that many gamers hold dear to their hearts. Entire console generations have been defined by their games over the years. The train of success began with Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter, two platformers that remain icons in the genre, but the devs weren't done with just two iconic franchises.
The 20 Best Naughty Dog Games
From the Crash Bandicoot games on the PS1 to the Last of Us duology on PS4, these are the greatest games Naughty Dog ever released.
At the end of the 2000s, players were given Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and the three sequels that followed soon after, with Nathan Drake becoming the poster child for PlayStation and the adventure genre as a whole. Yet they still weren't done, as they had another hit with The Last of Us, delivering an emotional and visceral tale that is revered by players and critics alike, and is just another example of the limitless talents of the team at Naughty Dog.
Insomniac Games
Era Defining Franchises For Over 20 Years
- Date Founded
- February 28, 1984
- Headquarters
- Burbank, California, United States
- Parent Company
- PlayStation Studios
- Known For
- Spyro the Dragon, ratchet and clank
Insomniac has managed to consistently release insanely good games across five separate console generations, and they show no signs of slowing down. Starting with Spyro and then immediately jumping to Ratchet and Clank, the team showed they had a knack for compelling character designs and fun adventures that are accessible and enjoyable for all.
Sequels continued to be released, alongside a few other cult classics like Sunset Overdrive, but the next big success came with the Marvel's Spider-Man games and their unbelievableopen- worlds full of detail and action. Now, continuing to work closely with other Marvel characters like Wolverine, it seems nearly impossible for Insomniac to make a single bad game.
GenDESIGN (Team Ico)
In A League Of Their Own
- Date Founded
- 1997
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Parent Company
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- Known For
- Shadow of the Colossus
genDesign, previously known as Team Ico within Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, is a remarkable team of developers led by Fumito Ueda that has created some of gaming's most elusive yet well-loved titles. Beginning with Ico, the devs positioned themselves as a team interested in telling unique stories that could capture emotions with very few words.
Their next game, Shadow of the Colossus, quickly rose to the status of one of the best games ever made, allowing the team to move on to their next project, The Last Guardian, another game that continues the theme of haunting stories with minimal dialogue. Today, functioning as an entirely separate company, genDesign remains a dedicated team that was given a chance to make art and went above and beyond in every way possible.
8 Developers Who Only Released One Game
In an era of monster triple-A developers dominating the gaming market, these devs made their name off of one game, and haven't made anything since.