EA Tops Developer Ranking

Success of FIFA and Need for Speed pushes internal studio to the top spot again.

Deciding which game maker is the best at any given time is not for the timid so trade magazine Develop stopped listening to its heart and started listening to the numbers to come up with the top 100 game developers.

Instead of bowing to personal preferences, as most games publications do, Develop looked at the UK sales performance of games from each studio and how they improved over last year.

Considering this, it's perhaps no surprise to find EA Canada at the top of the pile. The team has been making high quality games with wide appeal for some time now, with recent top-sellers including FIFA 06 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Soccer was a big reason for Konami's No. 3 placing too, with the Pro Evolution Soccer series going from strength to strength - not only in Europe but also in its home country of Japan. The soccer giants were separated by Pandemic Studios, which has been making commercial waves, with Destroy All Humans!, Mercenaries and Star Wars: Battlefront II all making good on their promise.

Below are the Top 10 game developers, including popular titles and last year's ranking, according to Develop:

1. EA Canada - FIFA, Need for Speed (1 last year)
2. Pandemic Studios - Destroy All Humans!, Mercenaries (19)
3. Konami Corporation - Pro Evolution Soccer (new)
4. Maxis - The Sims (3)
5. Nintendo - Nintendogs, Mario Kart (28)
6. Ubisoft Montreal - Splinter Cell, Far Cry Instincts (5)
7. Polyphony Digital - Gran Turismo (new)
8. EA Redwood Shores - The Godfather (4)
9. Traveller's Tales - Lego Star Wars (34)
10. Sony London Studios - Singstar, EyeToy (6)

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games