Arc System Works

Japanese studio behind Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, Arc System Works has forged a distinctive identity combining demanding fighting games, anime aesthetics and mastery of 2D/3D rendering.

Founded in 1988 in Yokohama, Arc System Works gradually established itself as one of Japan’s leading fighting game specialists with Guilty Gear and then BlazBlue. Its expertise in animation and 2D/3D rendering also led it to work on Dragon Ball FighterZ, Persona 4 Arena and Granblue Fantasy Versus, while the company expanded its international publishing activities.

Arkane Studios

Founded in Lyon in 1999, Arkane builds immersive worlds where systems, spaces, and player choices often matter as much as the story itself.

Arkane Studios is the creator of Arx Fatalis, Dishonored, Prey, and DEATHLOOP. Its identity is built around dense worlds, interacting systems, and a kind of freedom that encourages players to invent their own solutions rather than simply follow the one the game expected.

Atlus

From Shin Megami Tensei to Persona and Metaphor, Atlus has turned the RPG into a laboratory where mythology, psychology, everyday life, and demanding systems can coexist without trying to look like everything else.

Atlus is a Japanese developer and publisher founded in 1986 and now part of the Sega Sammy Group. Known for Shin Megami Tensei, Persona, Etrian Odyssey, and Metaphor: ReFantazio, it has spent decades building strongly distinctive RPGs while also publishing partner projects such as those developed with Vanillaware.

Avalanche Software

A studio that spent thirty years learning how to enter other people’s worlds without reducing them to simple licensed products.

Founded in Salt Lake City in 1995, Avalanche Software is an American studio specializing in adapting and exploring major cultural properties. After a long period at Disney marked by Toy Story 3 and Disney Infinity, its closure in 2016 and revival under Warner Bros. Games in 2017 paved the way for Hogwarts Legacy, its most ambitious project.

Avalanche Studios

Swedish studio and creator of Just Cause, Avalanche Studios has designed vast open worlds built around freedom, physics systems and emergence since 2003.

Founded in Stockholm in 2003, Avalanche Studios became known through Just Cause before developing Mad Max and Rage 2. The studio built its identity around large open spaces, systemic interactions and its proprietary Apex technology, now used across Avalanche Studios Group.

Bethesda Game Studios

The studio behind The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield builds open worlds designed to be explored, reshaped, and lived in for a long time.

Bethesda Game Studios develops The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield around the same fascination with open worlds, player freedom, and systems capable of producing their own stories. Established as a distinct entity in 2001, the studio now operates across Rockville, Montreal, Austin, and Dallas.

BioWare

Founded in Canada in 1995, BioWare turned narrative RPGs into a space for choices, companions and memorable worlds.

BioWare is a Canadian studio founded in Edmonton in 1995 by Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip. From Baldur’s Gate to Mass Effect and Dragon Age, it has specialized in RPGs where characters, relationships and player decisions take center stage.

Blizzard Entertainment

The American studio behind Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, World of Warcraft and Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment creates enduring universes designed to evolve for years.

Founded in 1991 as Silicon & Synapse, Blizzard Entertainment established itself with Warcraft before developing several of PC gaming’s major franchises. Battle.net, Diablo, StarCraft and later World of Warcraft gradually transformed the studio into a creator of enduring universes, now part of Microsoft Gaming.

Bluepoint Games

Founded in Texas in 2006, Bluepoint Games made technical remakes its specialty, from Shadow of the Colossus to Demon’s Souls.

Bluepoint Games was an American studio founded in Austin in 2006 by Marco Thrush and Andy O’Neil. A specialist in remasters and remakes, it worked on God of War, Uncharted, Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls before being acquired by Sony in 2021 and closed in 2026.

CD Projekt RED

From its first gamble on The Witcher to two global universes, a studio that made choice, storytelling and open worlds the driving forces behind increasingly ambitious RPGs.

Founded in Warsaw in 2002, CD Projekt RED is a Polish studio specializing in narrative RPGs. After transforming the literary world of The Witcher into a major video game series, it embarked on Cyberpunk 2077, weathering a spectacular crisis before rebuilding the game and deeply reorganizing the way it develops its productions.

Creative Assembly

A British SEGA studio, Creative Assembly has been building large-scale strategy games since 1987 with Total War, while also exploring other genres through Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2.

Founded in the United Kingdom in 1987, Creative Assembly moved from ports and sports games to creating Total War in 2000, a series that became the core of its identity. Acquired by SEGA in 2005, the studio has also developed projects outside strategy such as Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2, while its Horsham and Sofia teams now continue Total War and new productions.

Crystal Dynamics

American studio behind Legacy of Kain and several generations of Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics has combined action-adventure, storytelling and major franchise building since 1992.

Founded in California in 1992, Crystal Dynamics became known through Gex and then Legacy of Kain before taking over Tomb Raider in 2006 and reinventing Lara Croft several times. After moving from Eidos to Square Enix and then Embracer Group, the studio now controls Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain and develops new productions for both franchises.

Ember Lab

A studio that moved from animation to video games without changing its language: creating worlds expressive enough to make you want to step inside the image.

Founded in California in 2009 by brothers Mike and Josh Grier, Ember Lab began as an animation and digital content studio before moving into video games. After the short film Dust and the Majora’s Mask – Terrible Fate fan film, the team transformed its experience with imagery, characters and staging into Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and is now continuing that universe with Kena: Scars of Kosmora.

FromSoftware

From King’s Field to Elden Ring, a studio that turned failure, exploration and mystery into languages of game design in their own right.

Founded in Japan in 1986, FromSoftware began in business software before entering video games with King’s Field in 1994. From Armored Core to the Souls games, then Bloodborne, Sekiro and Elden Ring, the studio built an identity around exploration, learning through failure and worlds that prefer to suggest rather than explain.

Gearbox Software

Texas studio founded in 1999, Gearbox Software created Borderlands and Brothers in Arms, with an identity built around shooting, loot, cooperation and strongly characterized worlds.

Founded in 1999 near Dallas, Gearbox Software began with Half-Life: Opposing Force before creating Brothers in Arms and then Borderlands, which established the looter-shooter as a major formula. After a period within Embracer Group, the studio joined Take-Two and 2K in 2024 and now continues Borderlands with Borderlands 4.

Guerrilla Games

From Killzone to Horizon, the Amsterdam studio built its identity by pushing PlayStation technology while accepting radical changes of genre whenever its old certainties were no longer enough.

Guerrilla Games is a Dutch PlayStation Studios developer founded in 2003 and acquired by Sony in 2005. After building its reputation with Killzone, it radically changed direction with Horizon Zero Dawn, developed the Decima engine, and now continues to expand the Horizon universe into new forms of play.

IO Interactive

Danish independent studio behind Hitman, IO Interactive has built its identity around systemic worlds, its Glacier engine, and growing control over both development and publishing.

Founded in Copenhagen in 1998, IO Interactive is primarily known for creating Hitman and developing the series for more than twenty-five years. Independent again since 2017, the studio has expanded its activities, locations, and creative universes while keeping its proprietary Glacier technology at the heart of production.

Insomniac Games

From Spyro to Spider-Man, a studio that readily changes heroes but keeps returning to movement, gadgets and the immediate pleasure of play.

Founded in 1994 by Ted Price, Insomniac Games is an American studio that became part of PlayStation Studios in 2019. From Spyro the Dragon to Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, Sunset Overdrive and Marvel’s Spider-Man, it has crossed multiple generations by regularly changing worlds while preserving a strong taste for movement, inventive weapons and spectacular adventures.

Intelligent Systems

Historic Japanese partner of Nintendo, Intelligent Systems has connected strategy, RPGs, gameplay experimentation and development tools since 1986 through Fire Emblem, Paper Mario and WarioWare.

Founded in Kyoto in 1986 after several years of technical collaboration with Nintendo, Intelligent Systems became the creator of Fire Emblem and contributed to series such as Paper Mario, WarioWare and Advance Wars. The studio stands out for an exceptionally long relationship with Nintendo, combining game development, systems design and technical tool creation across several generations of consoles.

Larian Studios

A Belgian studio that turned player freedom into a design method, eventually transforming the systemic RPG into a spectacular adventure on a massive scale.

Founded in Ghent in 1996 by Swen Vincke, Larian Studios is a Belgian developer specializing in RPGs where exploration, systems, cooperation and consequences are designed to give players genuine room to act. From Divine Divinity to Divinity: Original Sin 2 and then Baldur’s Gate 3, the studio has grown without abandoning that obsession and is now working on a new Divinity.

Naughty Dog

From Crash Bandicoot to The Last of Us, a studio that reinvents itself with each generation while keeping its obsession with technology, movement and characters.

Founded in 1984 by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin, Naughty Dog is an American game development studio now part of PlayStation Studios. From Crash Bandicoot to Uncharted and The Last of Us, its history spans several generations of PlayStation hardware and a gradual shift toward increasingly character-driven experiences.

Nixxes Software

A studio that spent years working behind the scenes before becoming one of PlayStation Studios’ specialists in PC ports, optimization and technical co-development.

Founded in the Netherlands in 1999 by Jurjen Katsman, Nixxes Software specializes in adaptation, optimization and co-development across different platforms. After more than twenty years collaborating with studios such as Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal, it joined PlayStation Studios in 2021 and became a key contributor to bringing PlayStation productions to PC.

Pearl Abyss

South Korean studio behind Black Desert and Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss combines open worlds, real-time action and proprietary technology in productions designed to endure.

Founded in 2010, Pearl Abyss established itself with Black Desert before expanding into mobile, consoles and direct worldwide publishing of its games. The studio develops its own technologies and broadened its approach with Crimson Desert, while preparing DokeV and PLAN 8.

Playground Games

British studio within Xbox Game Studios, Playground Games established itself with Forza Horizon before extending its open-world expertise to the revival of Fable.

Founded in 2010 in Leamington Spa, Playground Games became one of Xbox’s major studios thanks to the Forza Horizon series, which transforms car racing into an open-ended adventure built around exploration and the festival experience. Acquired by Microsoft in 2018, the studio now develops two major pillars: Forza Horizon and the new Fable, marking its move from racing games into open-world action RPGs.

Remedy Entertainment

The Finnish studio behind Max Payne, Alan Wake and Control, Remedy Entertainment combines action, experimental storytelling and proprietary technology

Founded in Finland in 1995, Remedy Entertainment established itself with Max Payne before developing Alan Wake, Quantum Break and Control. The studio has gradually expanded its organization, regained control of its main properties and developed its own publishing model while keeping Northlight at the heart of production.

Rocksteady Studios

A London-based Warner Bros. Games studio, Rocksteady Studios established itself with Batman: Arkham by building its game systems around the abilities, movements and identity of the character itself.

Founded in London in 2004, Rocksteady Studios first developed Urban Chaos: Riot Response before reaching a new scale with Batman: Arkham Asylum. Part of Warner Bros. Games since 2010, the studio developed the Arkham trilogy, experimented with virtual reality and later changed its formula significantly with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Ryû ga Gotoku Studio

An internal SEGA studio, Ryû ga Gotoku Studio has built games since 2011 around adult characters, dense Japanese cities and stories blending drama, action and everyday life.

Created under its current identity in 2011 from long-established SEGA development teams, Ryû ga Gotoku Studio is primarily associated with Like a Dragon / Yakuza and Judgment. The studio also develops its own technology with the Dragon Engine and is now expanding into new productions such as Stranger Than Heaven and Virtua Fighter Crossroads.

Sandfall Interactive

Born from a passion project that became a studio in Montpellier, Sandfall Interactive seeks to combine the visual ambition of major productions with the agility of a small team, without giving up turn-based RPGs.

Sandfall Interactive is a French studio founded in 2020 and based in Montpellier. Its first game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, combines turn-based RPG systems, real-time mechanics and a world inspired by the Belle Époque; its worldwide success has made the young studio one of the most prominent new faces in French video games.

Santa Monica Studio

The studio behind God of War, capable of reinventing the same saga while also having served for years as a creative laboratory for very different PlayStation projects.

Founded in 1999 within Sony, Santa Monica Studio is an American game developer best known for creating God of War. Its history goes well beyond Kratos: the studio has also supported numerous external developers and helped projects such as Journey, Flower and The Unfinished Swan emerge.

Sledgehammer Games

American studio specializing in Call of Duty, Sledgehammer Games developed Modern Warfare 3, Advanced Warfare, WWII, Vanguard and Modern Warfare III within the Activision network.

Founded in California in 2009 by Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, Sledgehammer Games immediately joined the Activision ecosystem and specialized in Call of Duty. From co-developing Modern Warfare 3 to leading Advanced Warfare, WWII, Vanguard and Modern Warfare III, the studio became one of the franchise’s main production teams.

Sucker Punch Productions

From Sly Cooper to the landscapes of Ghost, a studio that keeps changing worlds yet always returns to the same pleasure: giving players a world they want to travel through.

Founded in 1997 in Washington State, Sucker Punch Productions is an American PlayStation Studios developer behind Sly Cooper, inFAMOUS, Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yōtei. From one generation to the next, the studio has transformed its scale, tone and worlds while maintaining a particular focus on movement, exploration and readable action.

Supergiant Games

Independent studio behind Bastion, Transistor, Pyre and Hades, Supergiant Games combines precise action, reactive storytelling, strong art direction and deliberately small teams.

Founded in 2009 by Amir Rao and Gavin Simon, Supergiant Games was built around a small team that has remained remarkably stable. From Bastion to Hades II, the studio develops one major project at a time and evolves its approach to action, storytelling, music and replayability with each game.

Team Asobi

Born in Tokyo around PlayStation prototypes, Team Asobi turned technological experimentation into accessible, tactile, joyful platform games carried by Astro.

Team Asobi is a Japanese PlayStation Studios developer formed in 2012 and established as a standalone studio in 2021. After The Playroom, Astro Bot: Rescue Mission and Astro’s Playroom, it established Astro as a true modern PlayStation mascot with ASTRO BOT in 2024.

Team Cherry

A small independent studio based in Adelaide, Team Cherry has built Hollow Knight and Silksong around exploration, hand-drawn 2D animation, and a highly organic development process.

Founded in Adelaide in 2014, Team Cherry is the Australian studio behind Hollow Knight and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Remaining deliberately compact, the team develops its worlds through successive iterations, combining exploration, traditional 2D animation, and the gradual construction of interconnected environments.

Telltale Games

American studio that became a reference for episodic narrative games, Telltale builds its stories around dialogue, choices and characters whose relationships evolve with the player.

Founded in 2004 by former LucasArts employees, Telltale Games established the episodic narrative game model with Sam & Max and especially The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, Tales from the Borderlands and Batman. The original studio closed in 2018 before the brand and certain assets were acquired in 2019 by LCG Entertainment, which has since developed a new Telltale.

The Coalition

Canadian studio within Xbox Game Studios, The Coalition has carried the Gears of War universe since 2014, combining brutal action, spectacular storytelling and advanced Unreal Engine expertise.

Founded in Vancouver in 2010 and long known as Zipline Studios and then Black Tusk Studios, The Coalition became the studio responsible for Gears of War after Microsoft acquired the franchise in 2014. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Gears of War 4, Gears 5 and Gears of War: E-Day gradually established its identity, closely tied to both the franchise and the technological evolution of Unreal Engine.

Traveller's Tales

British studio that became the creative core of TT Games, Traveller’s Tales has developed family-friendly and licensed games since 1989, before turning LEGO Star Wars into an iconic formula.

Founded in 1989 by Jon Burton and Andy Ingram, Traveller’s Tales initially worked on original productions and numerous adaptations before reaching a major turning point with LEGO Star Wars in 2005. As the main development force behind TT Games and later part of Warner Bros., the studio built around LEGO a formula combining cooperation, humor, exploration and major licenses such as Star Wars, Batman, Marvel and Harry Potter.

Ubisoft Montréal

Ubisoft’s first Canadian studio, Ubisoft Montréal has grown into a major creative and production hub behind franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs and For Honor.

Founded in 1997 in Montréal’s Mile End district, Ubisoft Montréal grew through Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia before creating Assassin’s Creed and several other major franchises. The studio also became a production center capable of coordinating large international teams and evolving games such as Rainbow Six Siege and For Honor over the long term.

Valkyrie Entertainment

Since 2002, this Seattle studio has specialized in co-development, strengthening other teams’ productions without trying to impose its own signature on them.

Valkyrie Entertainment is an American studio specializing in co-development and content production for other game creators. After contributing to more than one hundred titles, it joined PlayStation Studios in 2021 and now works across several of its major franchises.

The studios, publishers and labels behind the works.