World of Warcraft is globe's leading recession dodger

by Stevie Smith - May 11 2009, 15:45

When it comes to loosening the clutches of recession, the videogame industry has done better than most in the world of technology over the last 12 months. Sustained market growth and impressive global sales have helped keep gaming out of harm’s way, but, upon closer inspection, is it possible to isolate some of the driving forces behind the industry’s forward progress?

The editorial team of Develop magazine certainly seem to think so. Specifically, Develop and technology firm Emergent have this week published the fifth annual Develop 100 list, which provides a breakdown of the world’s most successful computer and videogame development studios.

This year’s listing reveals American developer Blizzard Entertainment (part of Activision Blizzard) as the world’s leading developer. The studio heads the list after generating more than a billion dollars in revenue through retail box sales and online transactions related to its World of Warcraft massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), which has more than 11 million players.

Blizzard’s rise knocks Japanese gaming titan Nintendo down into second position, while UK-based Rockstar North (famed for its Grand Theft Auto series) takes third, and EA Canada and Japanese heavyweight Capcom rounded out the top five places on the list.

Other notable development studios – all North American – adding their weight to the ongoing success of videogames include Ubisoft Montreal at six (Prince of Persia), Treyarch at seven (Call of Duty: World at War), Infinity Ward at eight (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare), Epic Games at nine (Gears of War 2), and Bethesda Softworks at 10 (Fallout 3).

“Our yearly Develop 100 has become an essential read for games industry executives all over the world,” trumpeted magazine editor-in-chief Michael French.

“It is read by everyone in the sector, from the tiniest independents to business leaders at gaming giants like Electronic Arts HQ in America to Kojima Productions in Japan,” he added. “With widened criteria which better reflect the fast-changing and various business models adopted by studios across the globe, this edition is no different.”

The list was compiled by the Develop editorial team, taking into account a number of contributing criteria such as success of online business models, Metacritic review score averages, industry standing and key sales charts from respected sources such as NPD, Famitsu and Gfk ChartTrack.

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