7 Video Game Developers KILLED After Corporate Takeovers

The release of a game involves two different entities. The developer undertakes the creative side of things, overseeing tasks such as the conception, design and programming. The publisher is then largely responsible for putting the game into the hands of players, managing the distribution and marketing of the title.

It was once commonplace for console manufacturers to directly publish almost every single game released for their platforms. Part of the reason why Sony was able to become so quickly dominant in the market after their release of the original Playstation was that they chose to forego this practice, letting companies publish games directly and attracting the attention of developers that had previously been restricted by Sega and Nintendo’s oversight of their creations.

Since then, the industry has been dominated by three types of company. Sony and Nintendo, joined by Microsoft since the Xbox entered the fray, still seek to develop first party properties exclusively for their systems.

Mostly in Japan, companies such as Konami, Namco and Capcom double as both developers and publishers for multiple consoles. In the US and Europe meanwhile, the likes of EA, Activision and Ubisoft own a variety of third-party developers (mostly through acquisitions) and make use of them to create their gargantuan franchise entries.

This practice is controversial, as many studios with reputations for releasing high quality games have been taken over and subsequently destroyed on too many occasions. Here are seven high profile casualties, out of hundreds…

Simulation games are few and far between these days, the odd gem such as Prison Architect that generates some buzz here and there notwithstanding. In the 90s, they were a PC mainstay, with the likes of the original Rollercoaster Tycoon and the SimCity franchise making waves in letting players explore their creativity.

One of the greatest was Theme Hospital, a management simulation that tasked players with building and overseeing a host of medical facilities. On paper it sounds like a chore, in reality it was one of the most enjoyable and laugh-out-loud hilarious experiences one could enjoy with a mouse and keyboard.

With diseases ranging from a ‘King complex’ that made patients think they were Elvis to ‘spare ribs’ that are given to the patient in a doggy bag as if they were from a Chinese takeaway, the game was deep in terms of content and stuffed with references.

Though it could’ve launched a franchise, Theme Hospital ended up being a one and done deal after EA, who had bought Bullfrog in 1995, ramped up their micromanagement in the wake of its success. Several more ‘Theme’ games were rushed to release, but all quickly drifted into obscurity and Bullfrog were wound up.

A spiritual successor the Theme Hospital, Two Point Hospital, was released in 2018 and recaptures much of the joy of the original. Ex-Bullfrog employees also founded Media Molecule (of LittleBigPlanet fame), so unlike many studio closures, there was eventually some good to come from Bullfrog’s…