Game studios from around the world
Full portfolios, history, engines, ratings. From giants like Rockstar Games and Capcom to small indie teams.
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developers table.About the game industry in 2026
In 2026 the game industry is the largest entertainment sector of the economy, with over $200 billion in annual turnover. That is more than Hollywood, music and streaming combined. The biggest studios are AAA developers with teams of 1000+ and project budgets from $200M.
Industry concentration
Over the past 10 years there have been several big mergers: Microsoft bought Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, Sony bought Bungie and Insomniac, Embracer Group absorbed dozens of studios, Tencent holds stakes in Riot Games and Epic Games. This forms 5-7 mega-conglomerates controlling 70% of AAA releases.
2026 trends
- Unreal Engine 5 everywhere: 80% of new AAA releases use UE5 — the new standard thanks to Lumen and Nanite.
- AI in development: from generating textures and animations to NPC dialogue. It speeds up production significantly but raises ethical debates.
- Live-service model: most multiplayer games move to a service with a long content tail (Helldivers 2, Marvel Rivals).
- Game Pass and subscriptions: Microsoft, Sony, EA, Ubisoft actively grow their subscription services.
- Single-player revival: the huge success of BG3, Elden Ring, Helldivers 2 showed that niche genres can be mega-hits.
Frequently asked questions about developers
How many developers are in the catalog?
Our database has hundreds of game studios from around the world. For each studio we collect history, the portfolio of all games in the FPSHQ database, founding date, parent company and engines used. The catalog covers the top 500 studios by popularity.
Which developers are considered the best in 2026?
Top 10 studios of 2026 by expert assessment: 1) Rockstar Games (GTA VI), 2) CD PROJEKT RED (Witcher 4), 3) FromSoftware (Elden Ring), 4) Capcom (Monster Hunter, Resident Evil), 5) Valve, 6) Sony Santa Monica (God of War), 7) Naughty Dog, 8) Bethesda (Elder Scrolls VI), 9) Larian (Baldur’s Gate), 10) Insomniac (Spider-Man).
Which Eastern European studios are in the database?
The database includes CD PROJEKT RED (Poland), GSC Game World (Ukraine), 11 bit studios (Poland, This War of Mine), Techland (Poland, Dying Light), People Can Fly (Poland), Bloober Team (Poland), Owlcat Games, Mundfish (Atomic Heart). The Eastern European game industry is growing actively and releasing global hits.
What does "parent company" mean?
Many studios are owned by large game corporations that fund and publish their games. Examples: FromSoftware — Kadokawa, Rockstar — Take-Two Interactive, Bethesda — Microsoft, Arrowhead Game Studios — Sony Interactive. Independent studios (no parent_company) are free to choose platforms and direction.
What engines are games made on today?
The most popular engines of 2026: 1) Unreal Engine 5 (Epic Games) — used by most AAA studios thanks to Lumen and Nanite. 2) Unity — the leader for indie and mobile. 3) Proprietary engines: RE Engine (Capcom), id Tech (id Software/Bethesda), Snowdrop (Ubisoft), Decima (Sony Guerrilla), Anvil (Ubisoft).
Can you work at a big game studio?
Yes, most studios have open positions. The most in-demand roles: gameplay programmers (C++, C#), 3D artists, game designers, QA testers, animators. Industry salaries are above the IT average. Remote is possible, but many large studios require an office (especially AAA).
Where to follow studio news?
Best sources: GameDeveloper (formerly Gamasutra), IGN, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, GamesIndustry.biz, Polygon, Kotaku, The Verge. Many studios run active blogs and Twitter/X with development insights. Major news also appears at big game shows (Summer Game Fest, Gamescom, The Game Awards).
Can you order game development from a studio?
Big studios do not take orders — they make their own IP. If you need contract game development — turn to outsourcing studios: Saber Interactive, Virtuos, Sumo Digital. They build games or parts of them for other publishers. Cost ranges from $100K for a prototype to tens of millions for AAA.
Which studios make games for PC and consoles at once?
Most modern AAA studios develop for PC + PS5 + Xbox Series at once. Exclusives are fading: Sony releases its former exclusives on PC 1-3 years after the console launch (Spider-Man, God of War). Microsoft (Bethesda, Activision) makes most games simultaneously for PC and Xbox via Game Pass.
What is an indie studio?
Indie (independent) — a small independent studio with no big publisher. A team of 1-30 people, a budget up to $5-10M, focused on unique gameplay ideas. Examples: Team Cherry (Hollow Knight), ConcernedApe (Stardew Valley), Hello Games (No Man’s Sky), Re-Logic (Terraria). Some indies grew into AAA over time (Larian, CD Projekt started as indie).
When do studios announce new games?
The main game shows of the year: Summer Game Fest (June, the E3 successor), Gamescom Opening Night Live (August), The Game Awards (December), Sony's State of Play (every 3-6 months), Xbox Showcase, Nintendo Direct. Also dedicated shows: PlayStation Showcase, PC Gaming Show, Capcom Showcase, Future Games Show.
How to add a studio to the FPSHQ catalog?
If you represent a studio or want to suggest an addition — message Telegram @denissatoshi. We verify and add the studio with basic info for free. Requirement: the studio must have at least 1 released game or an officially announced project.