Top 10 Game Companies That Fell From Grace!

THQ was founded in 1989 and initially focused on toy manufacturing, resulting in its name Toy Headquarters from which THQ was derived. However, they quickly became a prominent game developing and publishing company that released many notable games throughout the 2000s, including “Destroy All Humans!,” the “Darksiders” series, “Red Faction,” and the first three “Saints Row” games. The company then faced significant financial troubles at the start of the new decade, and on December 19, 2012, they filed for Chapter 11. Its remaining franchises were sold to various companies, including Nordic Games, who renamed themselves THQ Nordic in 2016.

There once was a time when LucasArts were the undisputed kings of the adventure genre. They absolutely destroyed the 1990s with notable releases like “The Secret of Monkey Island,” “Sam & Max Hit the Road,” and “Grim Fandango.” These titles were a lot of fun, but they were also hilarious and extremely well-written and helped to elevate video games into something more than a supposedly brainless pastime. The company then focused primarily on middling “Star Wars” titles throughout the 2000s before they were bought by The Walt Disney Company in 2012. Today, the former video game giant employs less than 10 people and functions as a licensor.

We hate to beat a dead horse, but Valve really needs to get their act together. The Valve Corporation has given us some of the best games of all time, including “Half-Life 2,” “Counter-Strike,” “Portal,” “Team Fortress,” and “Left 4 Dead.” Many of these revolutionized their respective genres and are still enjoyed today as complex and entertaining multiplayer experiences. However, Valve’s gaming input has significantly lessened in recent years, as their primary focus now seems to be on technology through Steam and the Vive. Their most recent work is a collectible card game based on “Dota 2.” The crowd present at the announcement was not impressed.

Bungie is known primarily for one thing and one thing only: “Halo.” However, being known for one series isn’t too bad when said series helped to revolutionize an entire genre and the basic concept of online console gaming. However, Bungie’s reputation all-but plummeted when they separated from Microsoft and went private. Since that time, they have released the Bungie Aerospace project, which is kind of cool, and two “Destiny” games, which many people found not so cool. While the “Destiny” games received good reviews, they were considered a disappointment in the eyes of many fans, and Bungie subsequently lost a lot of respect from the gaming community.

Atari was founded in 1972 and instantly helped define the very concept of video games and home consoles – “Pong” is known as one of the first arcade games, and the Atari 2600 was the most important gaming console of its time. However, the company faced significant financial troubles following the infamous video game crash of 1983, and a series of poor consoles followed, including the handheld Lynx (which was obliterated by the Game Boy) and the Atari Jaguar. The Atari brand all-but disappeared in 1996 when it merged with JTS Inc. Today, Atari is focused on social casino gaming and a new emulation machine called the Ataribox.

Like Atari, Sega was once one of the most prolific video game companies on the planet. In the late 80s and early 90s, it was the only company who could go toe-to-toe with Nintendo in the console market, and the Sega-Nintendo rivalry remains one of the most notable in gaming history. Many of their games, including “Virtua Fighter,” and especially “Sonic the Hedgehog,” are some of the most influential games ever. However, their great run ended in the early 2000s with the failure of the Dreamcast, and the company shifted its focus to third-party development. While it’s still a notable presence in the video game market, Sega is nowhere near the giant that it once was.

Yes, believe it or not, there was a time when EA wasn’t a magnet for immense hate. The company was founded in 1982 and instantly became a notable developer as they published numerous games and became a behemoth in the sports genre under their EA Sports label. However, a major switch occurred in the mid 2000s. EA was suddenly the subject of numerous controversies, including poor management practices and treatment of employees, controversial DRM schemes, and implementation of microtransactions and loot boxes. It was declared the Worst Company in America in 2012 and 2013, and many view it as a greedy and immoral company.

It’s not often that a video game developer this good comes along. You could say that it’s quite…rare. Sorry, we had to. Rare’s partnership with Nintendo produced some of the most memorable and influential video games of all time, including “Donkey Kong Country,” “Banjo-Kazooie,” “Perfect Dark,” “Conker’s Bad Fur Day,” and “GoldenEye 007.” That has to be one of the most successful string of titles in video game history. And then they were bought by Microsoft in 2002 and everything was ruined. After numerous disappointments, the co-founders left the company and Rare was relegated to developing mediocre games for the Kinect. Let’s hope “Sea of Thieves” brings them back to prominence.

When it comes to RPGs, few gaming developers can compete with BioWare. They have created some of the greatest RPGs of all time, including “Jade Empire,” the “Mass Effect” trilogy, “Dragon Age,” and perhaps most notably, “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,” which is often considered to be one of the best games of the 2000s. However, after the disappointing ending to “Mass Effect 3,” the mediocre fan response to “Dragon Age: Inquisition,” and the controversial mess that was “Mass Effect: Andromeda,” BioWare has suddenly found themselves in some serious hot water. “Anthem” really could be make or break for this once-acclaimed company.

Konami is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most notable video game companies of all time. They are the ones behind games like “Castlevania,” “Metal Gear Solid,” “Dance Dance Revolution,” and “Silent Hill,” all of which are some of gaming’s most popular and influential titles. However, the company has completely fallen apart in recent years due to accusations of horrible employee treatment, the cancellation of “Silent Hills,” and their feud with Kojima Productions and Hideo Kojima himself. They recently released “Metal Gear Survive,” a co-operative zombie “Metal Gear” game, to horrific results. The Konami of old is finished, and it’s a damn shame.