Making video games is a rewarding , but explosive profession . Although gaming is a multi - billion dollar industry , many citizenry who work on the development side of things have to endure poor work experimental condition , with longsighted hr and the scourge of studio apartment cloture constantly hanging over their head . This is n’t the case at every exploitation studio apartment , of class , but in just the pair of a few decades , hundreds of company have had to close their doorway for trade good , putting many gifted people out of a job .
The bright side to all of this is that the manufacture is so large that many of these the great unwashed are able to determine work elsewhere , but the loss of entire teams still strike heavily , peculiarly when those teams are responsible for creating some incredible video games . Here are 15 play troupe we wish were still in operation .
15. Radical Entertainment (1991-2012)
Notable Games : Prototype , The unbelievable Hulk : Ultimate Destruction , The Sir James Young Simpson : Hit & Run
Industry observer talk a hatful about the decline in mid - level developing over the past decade ; that is , games that take that nebular blank space between indie and big - budget “ AAA ” software . Radical Entertainment , which was founded in 1991 and establish in Vancouver , was the definition of a so - call “ AA ” developer , as the studio apartment ’s games were never top - level experience but were generally true , fun experience nonetheless .
Radical achieved some of its heavy success with quality licensed plot such asThe Simpson : Hit & RunandThe Incredible Hulk : Ultimate Destruction . The studio apartment ’s last release werePrototypeandPrototype 2 , a pair of underrated open - existence action games . AlthoughPrototype 2gave Radical its biggest launching ever and was critically well - get , the game sold less than a million copies during its first two months , which led to Activision severely downsizing the studio apartment . Today , Radical Entertainment still technically exist but as a shell of its former self , aas it ’s now used as a support studio for other Activision title .
14. Guerrilla Cambridge (1989-2017)
Notable Games : MediEvil , Killzone : Mercenary , RIGS
Guerrilla Cambridge had several figure over the track of its almost three decade - long existence . Known as Millennium Interactive during the mid-90s , the troupe was purchased by Sony in 1997 and rename SCEE Cambridge Studio . The studio would develop 12 games under this name , admit the PlayStation hitMediEvilin 1998 .
In 2012 , the studio was reconstitute as a subsidiary of Guerrilla Games , the Dutch - base developer behindKillzoneandHorizon Zero Dawn . From this compass point , the Cambridge studio apartment focused in the first place on makingKillzone : Mercenaryfor the badly - flesh out PlayStation Vita , which stay one of the most technically - impressive game on the handheld . Cambridge ’s net game would finish up being PlayStation VR multiplayer shooterRIGS , as Sony decide to shut the studio in early 2017 .
https://www.vg247.com/2025-01-21/sir-daniel-returns-in-4k-in-medievil-remaster-for-playstation-4/ informant : VG247
13. Silicon Knights (1992-2014)
Notable Games : Blood prodigy : Legacy of Kain , Eternal Darkness : Sanity ’s Requiem , Too Human
During the recent nineties and other 2000s , Silicon Knights was one of Canada ’s leading video plot development houses . The studio ’s full work includedBlood Omen : Legacy of Kain – the first statute title in the Legacy of Kain franchise – as well as a brace of excellent Nintendo GameCube titles : Metal Gear Solid : The Twin Snakesand the craze classicEternal swarthiness : saneness ’s Requiem . alas , a partnership with Microsoft Games Studios in 2005 would eventually head to the company ’s undoing .
Silicon Knights had been bring on a plot calledToo Humansince 1999 and design to release a trilogy of games on the Xbox 360 . The first and only game was free in 2008 after nearly a decade of development hell , and end up being a massive commercial-grade and critical failure . To make matters tough , a go lawsuit against Epic Games put Silicon Knights in fiscal ruin and when the company ’s final game — the atrociousX - Men : Destiny — failed to make a stir , it was only a topic of time before the company declared bankruptcy , which it did in 2014 .
Microsoft
12. Acclaim Entertainment (1987-2004)
Notable Games : Turok , Buronout , Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
Much like Midway , Acclaim was once one of the big publisher in the business . Sure , it released a mass of crap over the years , but Acclaim was arguably one of the most significant mid - tier publisher in the business during the nineties and early 2000s , put out such classic franchise asTurok , Burnout , and a diverseness of variation title . However , things began to quick unravel in the 2000s , with pitiful sales leading Acclaim to charge for failure in 2004 .
https://www.videogamer.com/news/turok-1-and-2-are-coming-to-the-xbox-one-next-month seed : VideoGamer.com
11. Zipper Interactive (1995-2012)
Notable Games : SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs , Crimsons Skies , MAG
The Redmond , Washington - based studio Zipper Interactive was establish in 1995 and started out developing game for Microsoft Games Studios , including the originalCrimsons Skiesin 2000 . However , it would be with Sony that Zipper hit serious pay dirt , as they were the squad behind the massively successfulSOCOM U.S. Navy SEALsfranchise . TheSOCOMgames almost single - handedly sold the PlayStation 2 web adapter and were an important component of Sony ’s online gaming enterprise for the console table .
Unfortunately , the studio apartment failed to find its footing once growing moved to the PlayStation 3 , as Zipper ’s tremendously ambitious gameMAG — which featured a platter - setting 256 actor online compeer — failed to have staying power . Zipper ’s follow - up , SOCOM 4 , had the bad luck of being released around the same time as the infamous PlayStation connection outage in 2011 , which hard limited the game ’s impact . Zipper ’s last game was the disappointing third - individual shooterUnit 13for the PlayStation Vita , as Sony shut the studio down just a few workweek after the game ’s North American release in 2012 .
Zipper Interactive
10. Bizarre Creations (1988-2011)
Notable Games : Project Gotham Racing , Geometry war : Retro Evolved , Blur
Founded in 1988 , Liverpool - base studio Bizarre Creations set up a pedigree as a racing secret plan - focused developer in the mid-90s with a serial publication of Formula 1 games before going on to trifle an constitutional role in the former success of both the Xbox and Xbox 360 . On the original Xbox , Bizarre made a name for themselves with the popularProject Gotham Racingfranchise before shifting gear in an unexpected way for the Xbox 360 launch in 2005 . Though Bizarre redeem the well - receivedProject Gotham Racing 3as an Xbox 360 launch rubric , it was the company ’s addictive twin - reefer shooterGeometry Warsthat became a monolithic early success for the Xbox 360 and its fledgling Xbox Live Arcade service .
Unfortunately , things exit downhill after Activision purchased Bizarre from Microsoft in 2007 . Though the studio apartment continued to put out great games , including aGeometry Warssequel and the hugely underrated arcade racerBlur , the latter title was a sales disappointment and this , combined with a larger trend of new IP struggling to get hold succeeder at that time , prompted Activision to commence looking for buyers in former 2010 . Three months later with no buyer found , Bizarre Creations formally close after more than two decades in the business .
Bizarre Creations
9. Psygnosis/Sony Liverpool (1984-2012)
Notable Games : Wipeout , Lemmings , Colony Wars
Founded in 1984 , Psygnosis spend its first X developing game for a variety of platforms before being buy by Sony Electronic Publishing in 1993 . The studio became a fundamental first - company developer for Sony ’s PlayStation when it establish in westerly dominion in 1995 , most notably the PS1 launch titleWipeout , a futuristic racing car that launch a long - range franchise . Racing games would terminate up being Psygnosis ’ specialty , as the studio apartment ended up making claim exclusively in this genre after being re - branded as Sony Liverpool in 2000 .
Sadly , bodied restructuring run to Sony making the difficult decision to close Sony Liverpool in 2012 . At the time of its closure , the studio was one of the UK ’s oldest telecasting biz developers and secondly largest of Sony ’s European group . The Liverpool internet site still live on on and serves as an overseer of Sony - bring out game at other developers , but the studio itself is for all intents and purposes defunct .
Sony Liverpool
8. Lionhead Studios (1997-2016)
Notable Games : Fable , Black & White
Lionhead Studios was know for its distinctly British television games and its overenthusiastic visionary atomic number 27 - founder Peter Molyneux , who built a reputation over the years of overhyping his game , only to routinely under - deliver with the finished Cartesian product . Still , separated from Molyneux ’s palaver , Lionhead ’s output speaks for itself . The studio apartment ’s two gravid franchises were the god - simBlack & Whiteand the RPG seriesFable , the latter of which rest one of Microsoft ’s biggest Xbox exclusive . However , following the release ofFable IIIin 2010 , thing started to go downhill for Lionhead .
Microsoft Games Studios
7. Free Radical Design (1998-2014)
The decline and eventual closure of Free Radical Design is arguably one of gaming ’s most tragical studio apartment failure stories , as the English developer was truly one of the respectable at what it did . Free Radical is perhaps well remembered forTimesplitters , a serial of stylised and laughably fun first - person hired gun that saw its concluding passing in 2005 . However , the expiration ofTimesplittersis just one reason to mourn Free Radical ’s demise , as it had been ferment on a thirdStar Wars Battlefrontgame from 2006 - 2008 that we know would have belike been awesome thanks to leaked gameplay footage .
unhappily , Lucasarts cancel the plot when it was say to be “ 99 % complete ” and following the poor receipt to Free Radical ’s PS3 shooterHazein 2008 , the company had no choice but to file away for bankruptcy . For a brief period , there was reasonableness to trust Free Radical would be alright , as the company was bought out by Crytek in 2009 and became bonk as Crytek UK , but the studio was at long last shut down in 2014 , with the majority of staff transferred to Dambuster Studios .
Free Radical
6. Ensemble Studios (1995-2009)
Notable Games : Age of Empires , Age of Mythology , Halo Wars
When it come to tangible - metre strategy games , few developer could rival the creations of Ensemble Studios during the company ’s heyday . Founded in 1995 in Dallas , Texas , Ensemble get their start with the belovedAge of Empiresseries , as well as developingStar Wars Galactic Battlegroundsfor Lucasarts before being acquire by Microsoft in 2001 . Under Microsoft ’s standard , Ensemble go along to be a top - grade RTS developer , putting out theAge of Mythologyfranchise andAge of Empiresequels throughout the 2000s .
The squad ’s final game would terminate up beingHalo Wars , an RTS set in the popular Halo universe that bear witness to be both a critical and commercial-grade achiever . So why then did a revered studio that sell over 20 million games get exclude down ? harmonise to troupe co - founder Bruce Shelley , there were a variety of factorsthat went in to Microsoft ’s decision . In 2009 , Shelley explained that a lack of variety , oversized manpower , and the cancellation of two labor ( let in a Halo MMO ) in the end moderate to Ensemble ’s dying .
Photo : Microsoft
5. Pandemic (1998-2009)
Notable Games : Star Wars Battlefront , Full Spectrum Warrior , Mercenaries
An main developer for most of its macrocosm . this Los Angeles - base studio apartment was yet another victim of Electronic Arts curtailment , as the publishing firm close Pandemic down only two years after larn them . However , for nearly a decade Pandemic was a human dynamo developer specializing in third - person action games , with the studio apartment ’s most noted works occurring during the sixth console contemporaries in the early 2000s .
Pandemic ’s breakout class came in 2004 , when the company eject two huge titles : the tactical combat simulatorFull Spectrum Warriorand the originalStar Wars Battlefront , which is still wide regarded as one of the best Star Wars games ever made . Pandemic ’s final biz , The Sabatouer , was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2009 and though it represented a return to human body after a series of disappointing release ( Mercenaries 2,Destroy All Humans ) , it would prove to be a sales disappointment and EA officially closed Pandemic on November 17 , 2009 .
http://battlefront.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Battlefront Source : battlefront.wikia.com
4. Clover Studios (2004-2007)
Notable Games : Viewtiful Joe , Ōkami
equate to many of the other companies on this list , the blockage of Clover Studios is a fiddling less regrettable as the studio essentially live on as Platinum Games . However , even though atomic number 78 is a great video game developer , its raceway disk is n’t as consistent as Clover , which never put out a bad game ( that comparison is a bit unfair considering Clover was only around for less than three long time , but that cart track record is even more impressive view how abbreviated its existence was ) .
From 2004 – 2007 , Clover released six games , includingViewtiful JoeandŌkami , the latter of which has seen its legacy raise in the years since release . Unfortunately , neitherŌkaminor Clover ’s final gameGod Handwere commercially successful , incite Capcom to shutter the studio apartment in 2007 . That same year , many outmoded - Clover employees form Platinum Games , the developer behind such game asBayonettaandNier : Automata .
Clover Studios
3. Visceral Games (1998-2017)
Notable Games : Dead Space , The Lord of the Rings : Return of the King , 007 : Everything or Nothing
Originally known as EA Redwood , Visceral Games created arguably some of the greatest licence TV plot of all time during the early to mid-2000s , including007 : Everything or NothingandThe Lord of the Rings : Return of the King . However , it was n’t until 2008 that Visceral became a top - tier developer with the release ofDead Space , still regarded by many as a survival - horror chef-d’oeuvre . TheDead Spacefranchise was a breath of novel air in an era when many doubted the viability of the survival - horror genre as a whole but Visceral ’s success ironically ended up becoming its ruin .
recreate by the success of the first twoDead Spacetitles , Electronic Arts tried to chase mainstream success withDead Space 3by introducing co - surgical sport , microtransactions , and a change in shade that moved further away from the series ’ horror root . As a outcome , the game was not as well - received as its predecessors and did not meet sale quarry . Visceral ’s next large task wasRagtag , a Star Wars game being headed up byUncharteddirector Amy Hennig , but a modification in direction cue EA to close Visceral in tardy 2017 and moveRagtagto EA Vancouver to wind up .
http://deadspace.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Issac_Was_There_!/Best_Dead_Space_Game Source : Dead Space Wiki
2. Neversoft (1994-2014)
Notable game : Tony Hawk ’s Pro Skater , Spider - Man , Guitar Hero
For gamers who grew up owning a Sony PlayStation , Neversoft ’s output during that era likely holds a special place in their tenderness . After all , this is the studio apartment that not only createdTony Hawk ’s Pro Skater , but also gave us one of the best Spider - Man games of all prison term . While the studio hit a bit of a creative lull as the Tony Hawk games start to see diminishing returns in the tardy 2000s , Neversoft still managed to stay relevant by have over the Guitar Hero enfranchisement withGuitar Hero III : caption of Rockin 2007 .
However , that franchise too reached a impregnation gunpoint before long , actuate parent company Activision to coalesce Neversoft withCall of Dutydeveloper Infinity Ward . Neversoft formally closed its room access on July 10 , 2014 , 20 years to the daytime of its founding .
Activision
1. Midway (1958-2010)
Notable Games : Space Invaders , Mortal Kombat , Rampage
At its peak , Midway was the fourth - enceinte video game publisher in the world and were responsible for creating some of the most influential game of all meter . Midway began life in 1958 creating amusement park biz , but transition to video recording games in the 1970s . The company ’s first mainstream hit was the classic 1978 colonnade gameSpace Invadersand throughout the belated 1970s and into the 1980s , Midway would become one of the biggest participant in the arcade commercial enterprise , creating or licensing many of the most successful games of the earned run average , includingGalaga , Defender , andPac - Man .
By the 1990s , Midway had begun transition to the menage console outer space , fork up classic franchises likeMortal KombatandNBA Jam . Unfortunately , Midway get a period of rapid decline during the 2000s and was forced to file for bankruptcy by the end of the 10 . While Midway ’s various brands still subsist under fresh publishing company , the troupe itself went under for good in 2010 .
http://rampage.wikia.com/wiki/The_Wrecking_Crew Source : Rampage Wiki
