Summary
- Bend Studio is an underrated Sony developer, responsible for acclaimed games like Days Gone.
- Gunfire Games rose from THQ’s closure to create successful titles like Darksiders 3.
- Treasure, a legendary studio, made iconic games like Gunstar Heroes but remains underrated.
Some video game studios just don’t get the attention they deserve. Whether it’s because they don’t have the marketing budget to get their name out there or fate has just kept them underground, these developers deserve to get more praise and recognition from the wider gaming community.
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Underrated is a somewhat vague term that can be interpreted in a number of ways, but it would be safe to say that it applies for each of these video game studios. While the same big studios that everybody knows always get the plaudits, it’s worth digging down a few layers to find the other developers who, in many ways, punch above their weight.
7
Bend Studio
Years Gone Without A New Game
It may feel strange having one of Sony’s first-party developers on a list of underrated game studios. But Bend Studio’s status as an underrated studio is more in relation to its peers such as Naughty Dog, Santa Monic Studio, Insomniac etc.
This is despite Bend Studio being responsible for some of the best Sony Interactive Entertainment games in the history of PlayStation. The Syphon Filter series, Days Gone, and the studio’s work developing portable spinoffs such as Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Resistance: Retribution all point towards a talented team of developers who deserve the same praise as the other PlayStation Studios.
6
Gunfire Games
Rising From The Ashes
Gunfire Games’ existence is something of a miracle. The studio was born from a collective of developers who lost their jobs as a result of THQ folding in 2013, and since then, they have established themselves as a well-respected double-A team.
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With titles like Darksiders 3, the Remnant series, and Chronos, Gunfire Games has continued to build its fanbase even after going under in their past life. Despite this, there is definitely more room for Gunfire Games to grow in the minds of mainstream gamers around the world.
5
Thunder Lotus
Creating Memorable Indie Games
Thunder Lotus is a Canadian indie developer that is building some real momentum with each of its titles. Stating with the Viking action game Jotun, the studio then launched the idiosyncratic Metroidvania Sundered before finding wider appeal with the touching Spiritfarer.
Each subsequent game showcases the studio’s growth not just within its game design, but also as capable storytellers who know how to use the medium to elicit powerful emotions. Thunder Lotus has yet to really get the accolades it deserves, but it has never lacked in quality games.
4
Hörberg Productions
A One-Person Wonder
Hörberg Productions is the development studio of Bertil Hörberg, a Swedish developer who first came to fame making really polished games for the Nintendo 3DS eShop. The Gunman Clive duology is some of the best, and most underrated, action-platformers of the past fifteen years, and Hörberg hasn’t stopped there.
This studio has continued to make super slick and aesthetically stylish games for modern platforms, such as Mechstermination Force and Onion Assault. And the fact that all these wonderful titles have come from just one developer makes their qualities all the more impressive.
3
Zoink Games
Known For Unique Games
Another underrated Swedish developer, the Zoink Games legacy will never truly come to fruition now that the studio has been incorporated into Thunderful Group – joining with yet another unsung developer, Image & Form. Hopefully, this new chapter for Zoink Games doesn’t take away from the weird and wonderful creations it was responsible for in its time.
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Games like Fe and Ghost Giant showcased the pure imagination that this developer infused its games with time and time again. There was always something whimsical and unique about its games, from gameplay to storytelling, which makes it a shame that the people behind them didn’t get more attention back in the day.
2
Giant Sparrow
Forging The Way Ahead
Giant Sparrow is an appropriate name for this developer as the incongruity of a large-sized small bird sums up the kind of double-sided history this developer has experienced. On the one hand, a game like What Remains of Edith Finch is often lauded as one of the greatest indie games of all time and has only grown in stature since its launch.
On the other hand, Giant Sparrow has remained a relatively small developer who hasn’t quite become a household name among gamers, even though it is constantly compared to developers like ThatGameCompany. When the studio’s two games have been this good (the other being the excellent The Unfinished Swan), you can’t help but feel like there should be more noise made about this incredibly talented team and excitement about what they have in the future.
1
Treasure
The Original Underrated Game Studio
Gunstar Heroes, Guardian Heroes, Ikaruga, Sin and Punishment… these are all some of the most beloved games for the systems they launched on, and yet not enough people would be able to name the studio behind them all. Treasure has been, well, a treasured game studio for over 30 years, despite it never quite getting its due credit.
For those who don’t know, Treasure has been responsible for crafting high-intensity, fast-paced action games that are consistently of a ridiculously high quality. It’s kind of like a retro PlatinumGames, but its legacy has never matched the studios it would eventually inspire.
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