According to this, Nintendo’s Kyoto division has been voted the best developer in the world. Responsible for such blockbusters as Wii Play, Wii Sports, and two Brain Age games, the Japanese developer has been given this prestigious award by Think Services’ Game Developer magazine and Game Developer Research division.
These titles rarely left Japanese and Western sales charts, demonstrating Nintendo’s mastery of the casual games market. Survey comments heaped praise upon the Japanese giant for its focus on quality, and this was reflected in high review scores all around.” said Simon Caress, Publisher of Game Developer Magazine and Game Developer research. “Nintendo’s incredibly accessible and well-designed games continue to support its hardware success, which is why they reached the Top Developer spot in this first-ever Top 50 Developer Report.”
He added, “In addition, the mix of Western and Japanese developers in the Top 20 shows a flourishing world ecosystem for game development, as the medium continues to grow strongly into the 21st Century.”
The two runners up were Infinity Ward responsible for Call of Duty 4 and Blizzard, the men and women behind World of Warcraft.
The full top 20:
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Nintendo Kyoto (Brain Age, Wii Play)
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Infinity Ward (Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare)
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Blizzard Entertainment (World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade)
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Electronic Arts Canada (FIFA Soccer 08, NBA Street: Homecourt)
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Valve (Portal, Team Fortress 2)
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Konami Japan Studio (Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer, Dance Dance Revolution Universe)
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Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank Future)
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Capcom Osaka Studio (Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Monster Hunter Freedom)
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Electronic Arts Tiburon (Madden NFL 08, NASCAR 08)
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BioWare Edmonton (Mass Effect, Jade Empire: Special Edition)
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Bungie Studios (Halo 3)
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Ubisoft Montreal (Assassin’s Creed, Naruto: Rise Of A Ninja)
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2K Boston [& Australia] (BioShock)
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Harmonix (Rock Band)
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Bandai Namco Tokyo (Ace Combat 6: Fires Of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari)
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Square Enix Tokyo (Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Front Mission DS)
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Game Freak (Pokemon Diamond/Pearl)
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Epic Games (Unreal Tournament 3, Gears Of War PC)
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Hudson Soft (Mario Party 8, Mario Party DS)
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Neversoft (Guitar Hero III, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground)
Game Developer Research is selling the complete report for a whopping $2,995!
