Most underappreciated/obscure developers?

[MammothBlade]

Which developers produce some really good games for their budget, yet remain obscure and unknown for their efforts?

Introversion Software are pretty amazing, having released DEFCON and Uplink despite their tiny size.

Stardock Corporation has produced the Galactic Civilisations series and Sins of A Solar Empire. After that, it has not been doing so well on the gaming front, and its games arm has been kept afloat by the rest of the company.

Paradox Games produces mostly niche historical strategy games often with amazing attention to detail, but it's hampered by its cluttered portfolio and poor quality assurance. The development team should focus on producing mostly bug-free, technically competent main titles before they go and pursue another rushed project which is even more riddled with bugs.

 

[Sack of Cheese]

I guess Ninja Theory.

 

[MammothBlade]

I had to google that one.

I've not played any of Ninja Theory's games, but Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was apparently a massive flop despite great reviews. It's a shame.

 

[LookingGlass]

Arkane Studios.

They've only made two games so far (they also helped with Bioshock 2 apparently, but they didn't do the design work or anything): Arx Fatalis (2002) and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (2006).

I loved both of them and there are others who feel the same way, but neither was particularly successful as far as I'm aware. Personally I haven't found anything quite like either of them.


They've since been acquired by ZeniMax and are working on Dishonored, which you might have heard of. I think they'll become more well known now that they have a big company behind them.

 

[EzraPound]

Sega AM2 don't get mentioned a lot specifically, whereas they're headed by Yu Suzuki and responsible for classics such as After Burner, Out Run, Virtua Cop, Shenmue/Shenmue II, the Virtua Fighter series, Space Harrier, Super Hang-On, etc.

Origin Systems might be the best western developer ever, as they developed both the Ultima and Wing Commander series--the former of which invented WRPGs as we know them, and Wing Commander III was the first filmic game--and commissioned Blue Sky (who later changed their name to Looking Glass) to create Ultima Underworld, without which there would not be any first-person shooters or role-playing games.

Ion Storm were an underrated company. I mean, sure, Dominion and Daikatana weren't that great, but Anachronox and Deus Ex--by Tom Hall and Warren Spector, respectively--are still two of the best games ever made, and watersheds in the FPS/RPG dialogue.

People often don't realize that 3D Realms--back when they were called Apogee--made a ton of games other than Duke Nukem: Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure, Monster Bash, Rise of the Triad, etc. Many of these titles were significant in that--along with Commander Keen--they introduced smooth side-scrolling to PCs, and paved the way for the post-DOOM FPS revolution.

 

[Gorilla Gunk]

Arkane Studios.

They've only made two games so far (they also helped with Bioshock 2 apparently, but they didn't do the design work or anything): Arx Fatalis (2002) and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (2006).

I loved both of them and there are others who feel the same way, but neither was particularly successful as far as I'm aware. Personally I haven't found anything quite like either of them.


They've since been acquired by ZeniMax and are working on Dishonored, which you might have heard of. I think they'll become more well known now that they have a big company behind them.

I think I heard that they also did some uncredited touch-up work on Skyrim to help get a few things done in the last days of development.

 

[midget_roxx]

Which developers produce some really good games for their budget, yet remain obscure and unknown for their efforts?

Introversion Software are pretty amazing, having released DEFCON and Uplink despite their tiny size.

Stardock Corporation has produced the Galactic Civilisations series and Sins of A Solar Empire. After that, it has not been doing so well on the gaming front, and its games arm has been kept afloat by the rest of the company.

Paradox Games produces mostly niche historical strategy games often with amazing attention to detail, but it's hampered by its cluttered portfolio and poor quality assurance. The development team should focus on producing mostly bug-free, technically competent main titles before they go and pursue another rushed project which is even more riddled with bugs.

Paradox games are fine once they've been patched a bit. The UI is just intimidating for the new user

 

[KingofMadCows]

Defunct developers:

New World Computing - they created the Might and Magic and Heroes of Might and Magic franchise. They got screwed by 3DO.

Troika - if their publishers had not screwed them, they would be the best RPG developers around.

Existing developers:

Massive Entertainment - they created Ground Control, which practically invented the real time tactics genre. They also made World in Conflict.

Spiderweb Software - very underrated indie developer. They made RPG's with very creative settings.

Nival - they've made some real gems like Etherlords, a card dueling game that's actually good, Silent Storm, a spiritual successor to Jagged Alliance, and Heroes of Might and Magic 5, which improved a lot when the second expansion came out.

 

[the spud]

Quintet: Made some of the greatest games for the SNES, such as Terranigma and ActRaiser.

SuckerPunch: They are starting to make some headway with Infamous, but I still feel that they are very underrated.

Double Fine: Most of you have heard of these guys, but they really deserve more credit.

 

[Uber Evil]

SuckerPunch: They are starting to make some headway with Infamous, but I still feel that they are very underrated.

What? I thought Suckerpunch was well known, what with making Sly Cooper. I know that they are generally loved by this community.

 

[SidingWithTheEnemy]

I know Paradox, I don't think it's obscure or unappreciated. Granted, they are to some degree as their games are unmeasurably better than those from most E.A. developers but they are not as popular.

I'm partial to Headup Games and their glorious game Named:

Spoiler: Grotesque Tactics Evil Heroes

So tell me what you think.

 

[the spud]

SuckerPunch: They are starting to make some headway with Infamous, but I still feel that they are very underrated.

What? I thought Suckerpunch was well known, what with making Sly Cooper. I know that they are generally loved by this community.

They are somewhat well known, espescially around here, but I still feel like most people give them the respect they deserve. They are right on up there with Valve and Blizzard in my books.

 

[John Mandrake]

mojang, they're making this cool game called minecraft
but seriously:
People Can Fly: painkiller is a fuckin fun game, in the mindless sense
of course, they were, before they were sucked into the ass that is epic games....

 

[Delsana]

Westwood.

So obscure it no longer exists and all their brands have been eaten by an evil company and spit on after they pooped them out.

 

[TrevHead]

CAVE, AM2 & Smilebit

 

[Andy Shandy]

I don't think many people would know who Quantic Dream are until you told them that they made Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy to North America) and Heavy Rain.

 

[Pakkie]

CROTEAM, big time.

They are a tiny game dev company in Croatia who manage to create there own engine and make games that are throw backs to run n' gun shooters - the creators of serious sam.

Pleeeeaaaase buy SS3, they really deserve the support... Its basically what duke should have been, but better in my opinion.