10 Incredible Games From Lost Developers

By Salvador Polanco /

We are living in a Golden Age of gaming. Never before in the history of our hobby have there been so many great games coming out at such a fast pace. From the biggest-budget AAA titles down to indie games made by one-man teams, the amount of quality gaming goodness out there is simply staggering. Yet in the midst of all this, many of these success stories have been bittersweet. As the gaming industry thrives like it never has before, it is also approaching a crossroads. The costs of developing, producing, and marketing video games, particularly those of the AAA variety, are the highest they've ever been, making it more and more difficult for these games to meet their publishers' (aka investors') expectations. As a result, the industry has seen an unprecedented amount of studio closures following the release of games that don't reach the astronomical expectations that are put forth on them. There seem to be only two certain ways to stay afloat nowadays: go indie, or have "Call of Duty" printed on the game case. In the end, the gaming industry is a business, and it's a rough climate out there. It is with this in mind that we look back on 10 excellent games from developers that are no longer with us today. Some of them were shut down, some were absorbed into other companies, and some just disappeared into the wind. Regardless of how they went out, these developers left a legacy with these games, and for that, those involved in their creation should always be proud.