Microsoft Buys Bethesda: EVERY Studio Xbox Now Owns

Notable Games: The Evil Within series

Game developer Shinji Mikami had a legendary run with Capcom from the mid-nineties, but after he made the iconic Resident Evil 4 he essentially dropped the mic. Then, he had adventures with all-star devs like Clover Studios and PlatinumGames, before he founded a private studio with Tango Gameworks in 2010.

Their first title was a dystopian shooter called Noah, but the company hit money troubles and Zenimax was there to pick up the slack and obtain them. They quickly scrapped that title and focused on Mikami returning to third-person horror with The Evil Within.

The game was frightening, bafflingly weird, mechanically airtight and exhilarating. Oh... and the plot was really confusing.

While critics and the game's fanbase ate it up, it didn't manage to reach more mainstream audiences. This is likely why so many also slept on the refined sequel, The Evil Within 2, as well.

Regardless of the series not hitting the big time, this is one of Zenimax's most exciting subsidiaries, with a massive talent pool, that is able to take wild and risky ideas and box them into very playable packages.

Their new title, Ghostwire: Tokyo, goes into ethereal first-person action/horror (and is awkwardly a PS5 console exclusive), hinting at this talented studio moving into a different gear.