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Game companies you can't believe still exist
- Thread starter Phediuk
- Start date
Yeah, Senran Kagura has like 5 different enemy types and 5 different backdrops. That game can't have been very expensive to make. Still pretty fun, if a bit repetitive though.
To be fair they effectively went bankrupt in the late 80s and then were revived a few years later as a different company.
John Caboose
Member
I'm extremely surprised that Spark Unlimited are in business. Their track record is complete shit.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
Lost Planet 3
Legendary
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
Lost Planet 3
Legendary
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
ryanofcall
Member
EA - I don't get how anyone can still buy their stuff, without feeling bad about it.
Seraphis Cain
bad gameplay lol
It's almost like you haven't seen the sales numbers that Musou games bring in.
This is the only correct answer, most people here post companies they hate instead of following logic.
Platinum - Their games always bomb commercially , don't they ?
They have 2-3 PC only franchises that sell 1-2 million + every year.
They have 2-3 PC only franchises that sell 1-2 million + every year.
I love FIFA and will continue to buy the juuust outdated version when the new one releases. Tens of millions of other people don't want to play the "outdated" version and buy the new one instead. Replace "FIFA" with the name of their other yearly franchises.
How EA survives. Explained.
GoofsterStud
Member
Vanillaware...
They are my rock ATM.
They are my rock ATM.
I actually see a lot that are just very old, yet inactive, so it's like "wait, you're still here!?" when most such companies actually shut down or were bought out and effectively absorbed into the larger company.
There's also some awe from companies that existed for a long time. Activision honestly does deserve this, being the first third party console publisher and surviving a near death experience to become the biggest publisher out there. Like or hate Bobby Kotick he did a amazing but likely ruthless job saving that company and that puts him ahead of quite a few CEOs.
They're definitely done for should SE ever decide to make a push to claim the series internationally. I'm kind of surprised they didn't, Taito obviously didn't have much US presence, but it'd be a solid bread & butter series to have under their belt and to be more than the JRPG company or "we're not Eidos we swear!"
OldKingDoran
Banned
I agree with you 100% on the dull gameplay and rpg-lite aspect, but their games sell millions, so they don't really fit the topic of the thread.
Uh, no? Atlus managed to cultivate a strong fanbase through the years. Even went Index went down, Atlus was the only "sane" part of the company that actually brought profit in.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Raven Software.
Haven't done anything other than Singularity.
Haven't done anything other than Singularity.
You know, I've given it some thought, and I'm not particularly surprised or baffled that any gaming companies (that I know if) are still around. I can point to some decent reasons for all of the oldies, and even the Platinum example (the games don't sell, but their quality appeals to publishers who offer them contracts -- I think that quality gives each publisher hope for success, though this hope, sadly, may not last forever). I think I'd be shocked if someone like, say, LJN was still around from the old days. That would be hard to process.
My gut response is Nintendo, just due to longevity. It always blows my mind to think that they've been around since 1889. That company has been making games for 125 years and here we are today, not only playing their games but speculating about and commenting on their every move. Unbelievable.
Similarly, it's kind of cool to realize that Sega has been kicking since 1940, making slot machines and such.
My gut response is Nintendo, just due to longevity. It always blows my mind to think that they've been around since 1889. That company has been making games for 125 years and here we are today, not only playing their games but speculating about and commenting on their every move. Unbelievable.
Similarly, it's kind of cool to realize that Sega has been kicking since 1940, making slot machines and such.
AntiFacebook
Member
Nintendo as an hardware company
I love all their games, but I have no idea how Blueside and Phantagram are still around, given that they only created 4 games:
Xbox
2004 - Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (co-develop)
2005 - Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes (co-develop)
Xbox 360
2006 - Ninety-Nine Nights (co-develop)
2007 - Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom
and have been working on Kingdom Under Fire II for nearly 7 years now.
What keeps them afloat?
Xbox
2004 - Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (co-develop)
2005 - Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes (co-develop)
Xbox 360
2006 - Ninety-Nine Nights (co-develop)
2007 - Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom
and have been working on Kingdom Under Fire II for nearly 7 years now.
What keeps them afloat?
ShinobiFist
Banned
Word...
250Mil HW sales last Gen probably helped.
blankempathy
Member
You could of at least put console company. No effort at all.
i'm not a fan of their games, but 'rpg' (roleplay) is more than pushing numbers around. can't think of any eastern rpg than can compete with their games in terms of roleplay. not nearly as deep as classics like realms of arkania or so, but sadly still the 'best' to get these days.
Usually their games are funded by others. They don't have much to lose.
They sold 250 million consoles last generation.
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
Not even trying to bandwagon, but yea, Capcom. I have never witnessed a company so gloriously and aggressively run itself and IPs into the ground. They've been saved by the rise of Monster Hunter and other once small titles, and what do they do? Invest all that money in their failing mobile department!
Not even Square Enix has been this incompetent as of late.
Not even Square Enix has been this incompetent as of late.
Not a company. A name of a small group of people in Studio Japan.
Raven is owned by Acti and after Singularity the studio was made another cog in the Call of Duty machine.
Considering Platinum is an independent developer whose existence is contingent upon publisher-funded projects, it has everything to lose. The same is true of any other independent developer that lacks the financial resources to back projects internally.
I'm pretty sure they just make Call of Duty map packs these days.
Yeah, I may've said Kotick's ahead of a lot of CEOs but that's more because a lot of them would either trash a company or make a quick profit than bail. He's running a successful and lasting business, but is ruthlessly milking game series before looking for a new one to do so with. Kind of running a successful business by treating game series like some of the crappier CEOs treat entire companies.
John Caboose
Member
BumblebeeCody
Member
Critereon. BURNOUT NOW PLS!
Yea...I think I mentioned they were popular games. Not sure why so many people are confused with my post when tons of megapublishers have been mentioned as well. I thought I was pretty clear that I don't understand how such low quality games with braindead gameplay can continue to sell millions.
So many have been turned into cogs. Same with the Assassins Creed machine.
Who are the cogs handling AC? Other than Montreal, which admittedly, is a bloody humongous cog in itself.
Tatersalad
Member
ID Software. Haven't been impressed with their recent output...
John Caboose
Member
Like Raven create map packs many of the minigames etc in AC are created by "outside" studios. Also a lot of assets are made by outside studios. Many of these studios work on other things as well most likely though, including Raven.
Until The Division was announced the only things we saw from Massive after World in Conflict has been support development for Far Cry and Assassins Creed.
EDIT:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft_Annecy is pretty much an AC cog right now (multiplayer). Or at least seem to be.
As far as the mainline series is concerned, other than Ubi Montreal there's:
- Ubisoft Annecy (assisted with AssCreed Brotherhood, Revelations, 3 and 4)
- Ubisoft Quebec (assisted with AssCreed Brotherhood, Revelations, 3 and 4)
- Ubisoft Singapore (assisted with AssCreed Brotherhood, Revelations, 3 and 4)
- Ubisoft Kiev (assisted with AssCreed Revelations, 3 and 4)
- Ubisoft Bucharest (assisted with AssCreed Brotherhood and 4)
- Ubisoft Romania (assisted with AssCreed Revelations and 3)
- Ubisoft Massive (assisted with AssCreed Revelations)
- Ubisoft Milan (assisted with AssCreed 4)
- Ubisoft Montpellier (assisted with AssCreed 4)
Blimey. I knew Ubi has leveraged some of their studio network for marquee titles historically but damn, that's something else.
Who gives a shit about worms these days?
They need to start making new things instead of the same crap with a different name.
Eutechnyx, Spark Unlimited, VectorCell, Liquid Entertainment, Zombie Studios
As far as I'm aware of, these studios haven't released a game better than "above-average" (at best) for a decade or more. Good for them that they're still around, but I'm not sure how they've managed that.
As far as I'm aware of, these studios haven't released a game better than "above-average" (at best) for a decade or more. Good for them that they're still around, but I'm not sure how they've managed that.
petran79
Banned
Epic games are nothing when compared to Epic Megagames.
they may as well cease to exist....
looking at the older surviving video game companies Llamasoft and Nihon Falcom seems the only good example of integrity....
Incredible Technologies
Active in the arcade business.
Tee Golf, Strata Bowling, Arlington Horse Racing, Hot Shots Tennis, Peggle, Poker Dice, Rim Rockin Basketball, Ninja Clowns, Time Killers, Hard Yardage, Drivers Edge, BloodStorm and Pairs.
In order to survive they moved to the casino slot machine business
they may as well cease to exist....
looking at the older surviving video game companies Llamasoft and Nihon Falcom seems the only good example of integrity....
Incredible Technologies
Active in the arcade business.
Tee Golf, Strata Bowling, Arlington Horse Racing, Hot Shots Tennis, Peggle, Poker Dice, Rim Rockin Basketball, Ninja Clowns, Time Killers, Hard Yardage, Drivers Edge, BloodStorm and Pairs.
In order to survive they moved to the casino slot machine business
the 360 was a haven for STGs, not really surprising. Sony denied Cave early on in the PS3's lifespan and they reacted appropriately. it's worth noting that the Cave game that was published on PS3 sold rather poorly even when compared to the 360 release. cave's true audience went to 360.
astrogamer
Member
Kind of surprised Noise has existed for so long. There were the Custom Robo that were all flops, then they did another DS game in 2008 and it wasn't until 2013 when they did another game for the 3DS, Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter, but if I recall correctly, that game also flopped. Flops+ low frequency of games seems to be recipe for shutting down their studio but it hasn't happened
Hipster Cthulhu
Banned
Team Sonic ( I know people said Saga)