3) SIE Santa Monica Studio – God of War
God of War is the true reinvention of Kratos. Not only did SIE Santa Monica Studio meet expectations with their franchise remake, they blew them out of the water. With heartfelt scenes to crazy combat this game is so much more than a graphical masterpiece. God of War sold like hot cakes, with over 5 million copies sold in the first month alone, breaking records for the highest selling PS4 release to date. Unsurprisingly the game has received critical acclaim also taking the title of highest Metacritic score of a PS4 exclusive with a whopping 94. And of course who could forget the famous one-liner brought to life in this latest and greatest God of War title: Booooy.
2) Insomniac – Marvel’s Spider-Man
For anyone waiting in anticipation to see if Insomniac’s spin on Spider-Man was a huge breath of fresh air, and for the millions who waited to see if they would deliver the masterpiece we were all hoping for, the one we knew Spidey deserved, and Insomniac did not disappoint…at all. We gave it a rare perfect score, and for good reason: Marvel’s Spider-Man is fantastic and Spider-Man really embodies the characteristics of a superhero: he is elegance, he is grace. Never before has web-slinging and swinging been so fun, although the ridiculously crisp graphics surely make this experience that much sweeter. There’s something so pure about Insomniac’s version of Spidey that I’ve officially declared they are the only developer allowed to represent this fan-favorite character in all his glory. I kid, but really, Insomniac has now set the bar so incredibly high I’d be surprised if there was another developer who could do Peter Parker the same justice. Thanks Insomniac.
1) Rockstar Studios – Red Dead Redemption 2
Surely you aren’t surprised to see Rockstar Studios at the top of this list of developers were thankful for. Despite some ridiculous company practices like the 100-hour crunch, it’s hard not give them the props they deserve for a job well done. I mean, what other developers can say that approximately 2 million people called in sick for work the day their game was released? Hell, not even the Call of Duty franchise can say that. And that’s not the only record Rockstar broke with Red Dead Redemption 2 now holding the title for biggest opening weekend in retail across all entertainment releases of both 2018 and of all time and that’s not just video games! RDR2 also boasts an insanely high score of 97 on Metacritic for both PS4 and Xbox One; we even gave it one of our rare perfect scores. At its core, regardless of the review scores and record sales impressive as they may be, Red Dead Redemption 2 is truly a work of art and for that Rockstar, we’re thankful.
Are they any more developers you believe should be on this list? Let us know in the comments below.