3. Activision Blizzard

Perhaps one of the best partnerships in gaming history, Activision Blizzard plays host to Destiny, Call of Duty series, Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch. The five operating units of the company are Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, King Digital Entertainment, Major League Gaming, and Activision Blizzard Studios.

Net worth: US$29.93 Billion

What’s New?: Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch league launched earlier this month in collaboration with Fusion. The company’s value in the stock market has skyrocketed since then.

4. Sony Computer Entertainment

Whether it’s electronics or video games, Sony is one of the largest producers of video game consoles in the world. Its PS2 has been one of the longest selling consoles of all time. One of the prime competitors of Microsoft in the video games market, industry experts are always looking to find out which brand will release bigger and better versions of games.

Net worth: US$17.49 Billion

What’s New?: From Bloodborne 2, Knack III, to PS4 remasters of LocoRoco 1 & 2, Sony Computer Entertainment is all set to make 2018 a year full of action.

5. Apple

To the surprise of some industry experts, Apple is among the most profitable gaming companies in the world. Its App Store gained immense popularity with the introduction of iPhone. Through the store, Apple commissions a royalty for the sale of every game app, like Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Kings.

Net worth: US$526.82 Billion

What’s New?: Apple has created its first ever gaming robot named ‘MekaMon’, which can be connected to your smartphone and is capable of augmented reality warfare.

Read: Cloud Computing is Boosting Up to Disrupt and Dominate the Gaming Market

6. Electronic Arts

One of the oldest names in the gaming industry, Electronic Arts, aka EA, has to its credit the annual release of games like FIFA, NBA, and NFL. The American video game company has acquired DICE – the developers of Battlefield franchise. EA has also collaborated with Disney to be the sole distributor of all Star War games.

Net worth: US$22.90 Billion

What’s New?: This February, the company plans to roll out its new adventure platform named Fe. The game will be launched for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Origin.

7. King

The social games development company, King, ventured into mobile games in 2011. Candy Crush, Diamond Digger, and Farm Heroes are some of its most popular games. King has earned millions from just one of its games, proving how lucrative the video game industry is.

Net worth: US$5.69 Billion

What’s New?: The company plans to stick to its strategy of the simple mechanics of a match three game type in forthcoming years.

Read: Could Social Games Replace Console Games in the Next Decade?

8. Nintendo

One of the major names in the gaming industry, Nintendo began as card manufacturers and gradually became a leading name in the gaming industry. The brand literally revived the video games industry after its crash in 1982, through the release of the original Super Mario Bros. Star Fox, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda are some of Nintendo’s major franchises. The company has collaborated its core franchises with consoles like Wii and Gamecube.

Net worth: US$20.11 Billion

What’s New?: Recently, Nintendo decided to bring back the NES Classic Edition to make the most of the interest generated from Nintendo Switch.

9. Ubisoft

The French video game publisher Ubisoft has made a place for itself in the top gaming companies through strategic acquisition of some of the most talented development studios. The company has a rich portfolio of renowned brands like Just Dance, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rayman, and Watch Dogs.

Net worth: US$ 4.5 Billion

What’s New?: Ubisoft and Yoozoo Games announced a partnership that will bring Assassin’s Creed characters to Legacy of Discord.

10. Sega

“Sonic the Hedgehog” gave this Japanese multinational company immense success both in terms of revenues and popularity. Sega did experience major losses after its decision to discontinue its hardware business and focus on third party software development. However, since 2005, Sega has been going strong in the gaming industry.

Today, Sega is not only among the topmost companies in Japan, but throughout the globe.

Net worth: US$ 4 Billion

What’s New?: Post success of Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania, Sega is planning to work on SXSW in 2018.

Read: How Is the Online Gambling Industry Making Room for the Next Unicorn Company?

11. Zynga

A leading developer of the world’s most popular social games, Zynga is a San Francisco based company. Farmville, Empires and Allies, Crazy Kitchen, and Solitaire are some of its most sought-after games.

The pioneers of social games, Zynga acquired NaturalMotion – the creators of CSR Racing and Clumsy Ninja, in 2014.

Net worth: US$ 4.5 Billion

What’s New?: In a major move to gain a monopoly over the mobile card games market, the company acquired the copyrights of Turkish game designer Peak Games for US$100 million.

12. Square Enix

One of the most successful companies of all time, Square Enix is known for games like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and Hitman. The Japanese company, earned huge revenues through the Final Fantasy series, especially Final Fantasy 7.

Net worth: US$ 1.26 Billion

What’s New?: Square Enix has announced the launch of a new “high-speed competitive action” game named Starwing Paradox in 2018.

Conclusion:

Online gaming holds immense potential for developers as well as investors. The above list makes it apparent that online gaming has emerged as a major segment of the entertainment industry. With mobile games, pay-to-play games, and free-to-play (F2P) games becoming even more creative, it is expected that the global online gaming market will grow at an immense rate.