It’s no secret that the video game industry is booming. In fact, it’s estimated that the industry will be worth $300 billion by 2025. With such a large market, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of video game publishers vying for a piece of the pie.
With business in gaming flourishing, it’s no surprise a lot of online video game retailers like poggers will be expecting brisk activity in sales and inquiries. There are only a couple of companies at the forefront of the video game industry who keep churning out the hits year after year. We decided to list the current top 5 video game publishers according to Metacritic along with their corresponding scores out of 100.
1st Place) Microsoft / Xbox Game Studios | 87.4
Microsoft / Xbox Game Studios is one of the top video game publishers in the world. The company was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Microsoft / Xbox Game Studios is best known for its best-selling games and franchises, such as Halo, Gears of War, and Forza Motorsport.
They’ve also released several critically acclaimed and award-winning titles, such as Sunset Overdrive, Quantum Break, and Ori and the Blind Forest. The company has also made significant contributions to the advancement of the video game industry, such as the development of the Xbox Live online service.
They’re headquartered in Redmond, Washington, and have offices in many other countries around the world. The company employs over 3,500 people, and its games are available in over 60 countries,
2nd Place) Sony Interactive Entertainment | 81.3
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is a video game publisher that was founded in 1993. The company is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation, and its headquarters are in San Mateo, California. SIE is responsible for the PlayStation brand and family of products.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has published and distributed several first-party franchises such as Uncharted, God of War, inFAMOUS, and Ratchet & Clank. The company also holds exclusive rights to the Gran Turismo, MotorStorm, and Socom series. SIE has produced some of the best-selling games of all time, such as the PlayStation 2 game Gran Turismo 4, which has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.
3rd Place) Humble Games | 80.9
Humble Games is a top video game publisher that is owned by a popular digital storefront named Humble Bundle. Founders Jeff Rosen and John Graham thought of putting up their own game publishing business aligned with their store’s core values. Their business is actively partnered with some charities for kids and that is what they are known for.
In 2017 Humble Games was acquired by IGN entertainment which mostly covers game news and reviews. Their business model wasn’t affected by the buyout and they still work independently from IGN. Still, there have been some changes in the charity options aspect of their company.
They produce high-quality, indie-style games like Coral Island and Unsighted which have simpler graphics but rich gameplay mechanics and engaging storylines. Among the other companies on this list, Humble Games seem to stand for helping small developers and making charitable donations easier for customers.
4th Place) Activision Blizzard | 80.6
In the early 1980s, video games were a nascent industry with a bright future. One company that saw this potential was Activision. Founded in 1979, Activision was one of the first third-party video game publishers. They published games for the Atari 2600, one of the first home consoles.
Activision was founded by four individuals: Alan Miller, Jim Levy, David Crane, Bob Whitehead, and Larry Kaplan. They were all former Atari employees who saw the potential in the video game industry and decided to strike out on their own.
In 2009, Activision merged with Blizzard Entertainment, another top video game publisher. Blizzard is responsible for some of the most iconic games in history, including Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft. The merger of these two companies created a publishing powerhouse and one of the most successful video game companies in the world: Activision Blizzard.
Activision Blizzard is responsible for some of the most popular video games of all time. Their best-selling franchises include Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft. They are a top video game publisher and have helped to shape the video game industry into what it is today.
5th Place | Bethesda Softworks | 80.2
Bethesda Softworks is one of the top video game publishers in the world. The company was founded in 1986 by Christopher Weaver and Robert Altman. Their first game, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, was released in 1994. Since then, they have released some of the most popular video games and franchises, including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, DOOM, and Wolfenstein.
Bethesda Softworks has made many contributions to the advancement of the video game industry. They were one of the first companies to release a game on a CD-ROM (The Elder Scrolls: Arena), and they were also one of the first to release a game with 3D graphics (Daggerfall). They have also released many groundbreaking games, such as The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, which was one of the first open-world RPGs.
Conclusion
The video game industry keeps growing each year and with the increasing popularity of VR, there seems to be an incoming new wave of interest forthcoming. The top video game publishers play an important role in steering the industry in the right direction to keep the momentum, and all the aforementioned companies on the list above seem to be doing just that. It’s definitely a booming industry that seems to outperform every entertainment division out there.
