what developer has the most soul?

[Llil]

My vote goes for Atlus, just for bringing back the first person dungeon crawler with Etrian Odyssey. Besides, I've never been disappointed with any game that says Atlus on the cover.

 

[franconbean]

Not sure about the most "soul".
but one game-maker reminding me that it does have a soul is EA, who have revealed that they are open to the idea of a Mirror's edge sequel despite the game proving to be less than stellar in terms of sales figures. Coming from a company as big as EA, which has so many shareholders to appease and which one might speculate cares the least (other than Activision), that means a lot.

Come to think of it, the developer with the most soul...
I reckon Popcap is up there somewhere as a candidate.
Maybe i just got taken in by the charming appearance of their games...

 

[William MacKay]

Insomniac.

Yes, almost all of their games are sequels, but they've explored so many genres and put such a unique twist on each.

seconded. they my be sequels, but they're sequels of great games.
Mojang possibly: MineCraft is exploring open world sandboxes perfectly, there are very few games like it plus the fact that the game is still in open beta but has over 10 million purchases with stuff constantly being added shows the care about their customers. some companies might just release bug fixes and not add new features to get the full release out sooner. and its not their only game (they made scrolls as well) which i think is an game where you get magic powers from scrolls.

 

[bob-2000]

"And la Noire
Which arguably created a genre."

lol.

Valve, it may not fit the categories but it is the most selfless developer ever.
It cares for its fans by willing to risk its own money for the fan's enjoyment.

Yea, maybe 5 years ago, but they've gotten incredibly greedy and completely destroyed TF2 with their new products.

By doing what, making it free and allowing you to craft and find anything that you can buy? People who have bought stuff have had no advantage over me whatsoever, and I haven't bought anything.

OT: I dunno, implying you can't be creative or have a "soul" (eugh) because you don't travel outside of a genre too much seems stupid.

No, creating a thousand weapons that overpower or unbalance the game just so that people will shop in their virtual store is why their greedy. It just feels like everything that was once charming or humorous about the game has been ruthlessly exploited.

I agree with you on the last point. Just because you have a niche in the market and fill it well doesn't mean that you're not creative.

 

[locoartero]

Bioware and Valve

 

[repeating integers]

Soul =/= creativity. Valve and Bungie both have souls, but it's not related at all to creativity levels - it's because they keep in touch with their communities, do what the fans want and incorporate user-created content.

I reject your definition and substitute my own!

 

[Kryzantine]

Since Valve is not allowed, I'm going to second (third? fourth?) Bungie.

Bioware has lost some of its old soul, especially after ME2 and DA2, and I just don't feel the connection there anymore. Bungie, on the other hand, loves its community. Hell, they knew Reach was their going out party, they even put in a secret room just to thank their fanbase. And even within Halo, they were willing to experiment until they achieved what they wanted. It was never really a money grab for them, and that they walked away from the series is a testament to how much they don't care about the money. And did I mention they care about their fanbase? Rooster Teeth owes their existence to Bungie.

 

[Zinaxos]

I would say "Double Fine Productions" for Psychonauts.
And "People Can Fly" for Painkiller.

 

[Metropocalypse]

The dead ones had soul.

Looking glass studios
Troika
Origin

R.I.P.

LGS definitely! Took the words right outta my mouth. I miss those guys.

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

A bit of a nit-pick, but no one releases "only" sequels. And you can't claim sequels to be inherently uncreative in the same post that you praise a sequel (Red Dead Redemption).

I'd say Valve, Nintendo, Capcom, and Rockstar all qualify in different ways.

Its a seguel!?

Yup. Red Dead Revolver on the PS2 kicked off the IP.

Red Dead Redemption is not the sequel of Red Dead Revolver. It is a spiritual sequel.

The best example of what I mean is Bioshock in relation to Bioshock Infinite.

OT: Mojang, Double Fine, Rockstar. Mojang for being an indie triumph, Double Fine for constantly innovating and never taking the cash out route, and Rockstar for all of their financial risks.

 

[LuckyClover95]

I love Rockstar so partially agree, however, TEAM ICO?

 

[jaketheripper]

konami/kojima productions.

mgs4
/thread

 

[someperson1423]

I'm going to say Bethesda just because of Fallout 3. Maybe they do not fit your definitions, but the atmosphere they put into FO3 really made me fall in love. The main story was kind of a "I have to do this" sort of thing but after that I spent countless hours enjoying the world they crafted. FO:NV just isn't the same somehow, FO3 really got me to come back and dig deeper into the ruins of the wastes and had me genuinely interested in the lore. That experience is enough for me to choose them. There are definately others though.

 

[starwarsgeek]

A bit of a nit-pick, but no one releases "only" sequels. And you can't claim sequels to be inherently uncreative in the same post that you praise a sequel (Red Dead Redemption).

I'd say Valve, Nintendo, Capcom, and Rockstar all qualify in different ways.

Its a seguel!?

Yup. Red Dead Revolver on the PS2 kicked off the IP.

Red Dead Redemption is not the sequel of Red Dead Revolver. It is a spiritual sequel.

The best example of what I mean is Bioshock in relation to Bioshock Infinite.

I haven't actually played Revolver, so I'll just quote Redemption's "continuity nods" from tvtropes.
"Continuity Nod:
-Several. A group of men sitting around a campfire can be heard discussing the now-legendary exploits of Red Harlow and Jack Swift.
-Also, the book that Jack reads tells the story of Red Dead Revolver.
-Twin Rocks, one of the gang hideouts the player can clear out, is named after the second level of Red Dead Revolver, and also resembles it in appearance."


So, yeah, same continuity, similar titles. Red Dead Redemption is the sequel to Red Dead Revolver.

 

[ChildofGallifrey]

My vote goes to Double Fine. Every one of their games is fantastically imaginative, and none are ever alike. They also don't feel the need to jump on the grey-brown cover based shooter bandwagon and continually make absolutely unique games.

 

[Chibz]

NIS, a MILLION times NIS.

Their first game (Rhapsody A Musical Adventure) was a huge risk, and they never stopped experimenting with gameplay.

 

[Samus Aaron]

Let's see...
Valve (Sure it bought many of the groups that made some of their games, like the people who made L4D for example, but that doesn't mean they can only borrow or steal the soul of other developers. They put a lot of heart into making sure their games are made perfectly, and then providing content for years after their release, like with the updates in TF2 and the dlc for L4D)
Retro Studios (Made Metroid Prime, which was an amazing innovation for the metroid series at the time, along with several other games)
Rockstar
Nintendo (It's main titles may be very similar, but you have to admit that their games are superb. Some people may not consider Nintendo "innovative" (myself not included) but you have to admit, they do care about their main franchises)
Bioware (Not the biggest fan, but there's a reason their fans are so devoted)

I would say Rockstar surprisingly because of their last 2 games were HUGE risks in terms of
finances.
Red dead redemption
A western reanimating an entire genre.

By this you mean, copy-pasting Grand Theft Auto and then giving all the characters cowboy hats... Real innovation there.

Wow. What a gross oversimplification of one of 2010's greatest games. GTA with cowboy hats? So I guess Half Life is just a ripoff of Doom and Mass Effect is just Halo with RPG elements. Whether you like the game or not, you have to admit that RDR is much more than just a GTA clone. There has never been a game that captures the essence of the wild west genre quite like RDR has, or even any above-average western games at all.

 

[Laurents van Cauwenberghe]

bioware?

 

[Tharwen]

By your criteria, Zachtronics industries easily wins this. The range and number of games offered by them is amazing.

Yup. Red Dead Revolver on the PS2 kicked off the IP.

Oh, that's interesting. I always assumed the similarity was an unfortunate coincidence.

Valve, it may not fit the categories but it is the most selfless developer ever.
It cares for its fans by willing to risk its own money for the fan's enjoyment.

Yea, maybe 5 years ago, but they've gotten incredibly greedy and completely destroyed TF2 with their new products.

I think Bioware. I know that they do a lot of sequels, but they're one of the only studios that focuses greatly on plot. Hell, even DA2 had really great characters despite the pressure that EA put on the studio.

I don't expect either of us will get anywhere with this, but I enjoy TF2 much more now than I used to. All of the new updates have added a ridiculous amount of depth to the game, and I honestly think the Mann Co. store is beneficial. There are no game-breaking items on there, despite what everyone says, the items don't ruin the stylisation, and it is possible to finely customise your playstyle while still participating in a sort of item collection metagame.

There's also the fact that it has easily the best achievements of any game I've ever seen. I love achievements...

 

[neoptolemus]

I agree with all the people saying Valve. They rock.

I think Blizzard deserve a mention. They're legends in two genres, the RTS and MMORPG (which they deserve credit for making mainstream, no matter how much of an abomination WoW may be). Plus they practically invented the action-RPG.