It's kind of awkward question, but I struggled with how to word it. Many of you play far more variety of games than I do, and from many different game developers, but do have a particular developer, or developers, that you watch closely as to their stability or games they produce?
I'm definitely open to games from developers whose games I've never played, especially Indie developers, but I tend to look to certain developers to see what games they're working on, or to the stability of a particular studio. When looking at the games I've played over the past 30+ years, the majority of gaming hours I've played rest on the games from certain developers. That's not to say they're my only sources of games, just my priority because I like the types of games they make. And granted, I'm an RPG fanatic, so my views are going to be different from other players.
Often times a game developer's focus will change, often based on whether the developer stays independent or bought by a larger studio, producer, or distributor. Sometimes a developer has more than one purpose, such as Valve/Steam, so forgive me if I get the exact terminology wrong.
Current game developers that I follow closely (not listed in any particular order):
Bethesda Game Studios: I know there are "Bethesda-bashers" and "Todd Howard-haters" out there, but I've gotten thousands (if not more) hours of entertainment from their open world RPGs. And one of the things that make them even greater is the fact that they embrace the talented mod community and make modding tools accessable.
Obsidian Entertainment: These folks have had some hard luck with rushed release time in the past, but even with the rushed games, they've produced some of the best RPGs I've ever played.
Piranha Byes: Small German studio (recently purchased by THQ Nordic), that often get disrespected (a crime in my opinion), but have produced some of the best immersive RPGs I've ever played in the Gothic, Risen, & Elex games.
Larian Studios: Swen Vincke is the most passionate creative director/owner of any game developer in the world (and I say that without doubt). Larian truly cares about the quality of the RPGs it creates.
CD Projekt Red: Yeah, they had a misstep with the promotion & release of CP2077, but the studio is dedicated to correcting that, as well as advancing the Witcher games (new & remakes) which have given me many hours of immersion.
Bioware: I almost hesitated to mention them as they're in such a state of flux with EA. Design decisions and management decisions (whether EA or Bioware) have made this developer a question mark for me, but the Dragon Age & Mass Effect games have given me thousands of hours of enjoyment over the years. So I follow, and hold out hope.
Valve Software: They certainly don't make many games, but the Half-Life games were instrumental in how the FPS genre evolved.
Those are my primary current developers that I follow, do you have any, or maybe it doesn't even matter?
I'm definitely open to games from developers whose games I've never played, especially Indie developers, but I tend to look to certain developers to see what games they're working on, or to the stability of a particular studio. When looking at the games I've played over the past 30+ years, the majority of gaming hours I've played rest on the games from certain developers. That's not to say they're my only sources of games, just my priority because I like the types of games they make. And granted, I'm an RPG fanatic, so my views are going to be different from other players.
Often times a game developer's focus will change, often based on whether the developer stays independent or bought by a larger studio, producer, or distributor. Sometimes a developer has more than one purpose, such as Valve/Steam, so forgive me if I get the exact terminology wrong.
Current game developers that I follow closely (not listed in any particular order):
Bethesda Game Studios: I know there are "Bethesda-bashers" and "Todd Howard-haters" out there, but I've gotten thousands (if not more) hours of entertainment from their open world RPGs. And one of the things that make them even greater is the fact that they embrace the talented mod community and make modding tools accessable.
Obsidian Entertainment: These folks have had some hard luck with rushed release time in the past, but even with the rushed games, they've produced some of the best RPGs I've ever played.
Piranha Byes: Small German studio (recently purchased by THQ Nordic), that often get disrespected (a crime in my opinion), but have produced some of the best immersive RPGs I've ever played in the Gothic, Risen, & Elex games.
Larian Studios: Swen Vincke is the most passionate creative director/owner of any game developer in the world (and I say that without doubt). Larian truly cares about the quality of the RPGs it creates.
CD Projekt Red: Yeah, they had a misstep with the promotion & release of CP2077, but the studio is dedicated to correcting that, as well as advancing the Witcher games (new & remakes) which have given me many hours of immersion.
Bioware: I almost hesitated to mention them as they're in such a state of flux with EA. Design decisions and management decisions (whether EA or Bioware) have made this developer a question mark for me, but the Dragon Age & Mass Effect games have given me thousands of hours of enjoyment over the years. So I follow, and hold out hope.
Valve Software: They certainly don't make many games, but the Half-Life games were instrumental in how the FPS genre evolved.
Those are my primary current developers that I follow, do you have any, or maybe it doesn't even matter?
Last edited: