14 DAY TRIAL // Game Developer Research has announced that Nintendo has topped the chart of publishers that it outs annually, hanging on to number 1 for the third year in a row. The Japanese company is followed by Electronic Arts and by Activision Blizzard.
The top 20 that Game Developer Research offers is based on a variety of metrics, from revenue data and release numbers to review score and feedback given by the companies the publisher works with. The research also uses a survey that analyzes the reputation of a company; this is distributed to videogame industry professionals.
Nintendo topped the chart mainly due to the very positive feedback offered by partners and to the revenue score. Electronic Arts continues to be second best probably looking to next year as yet another chance to reclaim the place where it once stood. Activision Blizzard, despite its size and the huge amount of videogames it puts out, has not managed to go higher than third place. Ubisoft, Take Two and Sony have taken positions 4 through 6.
The best ranked new comer of the year is Bethesda Softworks, the company mainly known for releasing Fallout 3. It is owned by ZeniMax and broke into the chart at number seven mainly on the strength of review scores for its post apocalyptic role playing game and the positive feedback received from partners. Previously at number 7, SEGA has drooped no less than five places to reach 12, mainly because of the bad financial situation at the company. THQ, Square Enix and Microsoft occupy the next three positions and complete the top ten.
It's a week of accolades for Nintendo, as the publisher and console manufacturer was also named the Best Company by BusinessWeek, a well known trade magazine, beating such famous names as Apple, Google and Amazon.