Michael Bluth
10-02-2004, 03:22 PM
October 01, 2004 - What are the best game publishers in the land? That's the question asked for the second year now by Game Developer Magazine, which in its October 2004 issue announced its Top 20 Publishers list for the year.
Unlike the publication's inaugural list last year, this time publishers were rated not just on brute revenue, but rather additionally taking into account factors such as use of third-party developers, average critical response to titles, percentage of original intellectual properties (IPs), and a survey of developer opinion of the publisher's practices.
It may not be surprising to see Electronic Arts take the number one spot, followed by Microsoft Game Studios and Sony Computer Entertainment in second and third place, respectively. However, each of the top three companies achieved their placement for different reasons.
Electronic Arts, for example, was found to have a very low percentage of original IPs (only 3 percent for the year ending March 31, 2004). This isn't surprising, given EA's largely successful reliance on hot franchises and licenses. However, the company reported easily the biggest revenue (more than two billion dollars) and earned a near-perfect rating from external developers.
By contrast, Microsoft -- a company many decry as only nurturing its own products -- scores high not only for original IPs (about 56 percent of the past year's titles) but also for its reliance on external developers (about 78 percent). The report also finds that Microsoft has an excellent reputation with its developers, especially when it comes to the company's producers and its reliability with commitments.
Sony, for all its dominance in the console market, continues to be a hotbed of originality, with 38 percent of its released based on new IPs. The company handles plenty of its own development, of course, but still used external developers for 44 percent of its titles. Sony's internal development staff rated the company very highly, and the reputation of Sony's producers, like Microsoft's, is excellent. Of course, it also helps that Sony Computer Entertainment shows estimated earnings of $1.78 billion for the year.
Finishing out the top five are THQ -- rated well for its use of external studios -- and Ubisoft, which comes in scoring strongly across categories.
Moving down the list, publishers fall to lower positions due to one or several categories in which they are lacking. Take Two at Number 8, for instance, has a strong line-up of hit titles headed by the Grand Theft Auto games, but scores lower for its small percentage of original IPs and its mixed ratings from both internal and external developers. Much-loved Nintendo comes in at Number 10, buoyed by very strong critical scores but also lacking in original IPs -- the company has recently relied heavily on classic franchises.
Also interesting is the appearance of UK developer Codemasters, not only making its first appearance on the Top 20, but also having the distinction of being the only privately-held company on the list. Once a developer of budget titles, Codemasters jumps in at Number 12 with its strong racing and sports line-up.
Of course, the Game Developer Magazine rankings are based on criteria especially important to game developers, who are often in the ambiguous position of being both greatly helped and threatened by large publishers. Regardless, it's fascinating to see how the major publishers in the industry rank. Here's the full list:
1. Electronic Arts
2. Microsoft Game Studios
3. Sony Computer Entertainment
4. THQ
5. Ubisoft
6. Eidos
7. Activision
8. Take-Two
9. Atari
10. Nintendo
11. Vivendi
12. Codemasters
13. Acclaim
14. SEGA
15. Konami
16. Square Enix
17. Midway Games
18. Koei
19. Empire Interactive
20. Namco
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/553/553050p1.html
Unlike the publication's inaugural list last year, this time publishers were rated not just on brute revenue, but rather additionally taking into account factors such as use of third-party developers, average critical response to titles, percentage of original intellectual properties (IPs), and a survey of developer opinion of the publisher's practices.
It may not be surprising to see Electronic Arts take the number one spot, followed by Microsoft Game Studios and Sony Computer Entertainment in second and third place, respectively. However, each of the top three companies achieved their placement for different reasons.
Electronic Arts, for example, was found to have a very low percentage of original IPs (only 3 percent for the year ending March 31, 2004). This isn't surprising, given EA's largely successful reliance on hot franchises and licenses. However, the company reported easily the biggest revenue (more than two billion dollars) and earned a near-perfect rating from external developers.
By contrast, Microsoft -- a company many decry as only nurturing its own products -- scores high not only for original IPs (about 56 percent of the past year's titles) but also for its reliance on external developers (about 78 percent). The report also finds that Microsoft has an excellent reputation with its developers, especially when it comes to the company's producers and its reliability with commitments.
Sony, for all its dominance in the console market, continues to be a hotbed of originality, with 38 percent of its released based on new IPs. The company handles plenty of its own development, of course, but still used external developers for 44 percent of its titles. Sony's internal development staff rated the company very highly, and the reputation of Sony's producers, like Microsoft's, is excellent. Of course, it also helps that Sony Computer Entertainment shows estimated earnings of $1.78 billion for the year.
Finishing out the top five are THQ -- rated well for its use of external studios -- and Ubisoft, which comes in scoring strongly across categories.
Moving down the list, publishers fall to lower positions due to one or several categories in which they are lacking. Take Two at Number 8, for instance, has a strong line-up of hit titles headed by the Grand Theft Auto games, but scores lower for its small percentage of original IPs and its mixed ratings from both internal and external developers. Much-loved Nintendo comes in at Number 10, buoyed by very strong critical scores but also lacking in original IPs -- the company has recently relied heavily on classic franchises.
Also interesting is the appearance of UK developer Codemasters, not only making its first appearance on the Top 20, but also having the distinction of being the only privately-held company on the list. Once a developer of budget titles, Codemasters jumps in at Number 12 with its strong racing and sports line-up.
Of course, the Game Developer Magazine rankings are based on criteria especially important to game developers, who are often in the ambiguous position of being both greatly helped and threatened by large publishers. Regardless, it's fascinating to see how the major publishers in the industry rank. Here's the full list:
1. Electronic Arts
2. Microsoft Game Studios
3. Sony Computer Entertainment
4. THQ
5. Ubisoft
6. Eidos
7. Activision
8. Take-Two
9. Atari
10. Nintendo
11. Vivendi
12. Codemasters
13. Acclaim
14. SEGA
15. Konami
16. Square Enix
17. Midway Games
18. Koei
19. Empire Interactive
20. Namco
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/553/553050p1.html