Think Services' Game Developer Magazine Releases 7th Annual Top 20 Publishers Report

Think Services' Game Developer Magazine Releases 7th Annual Top 20 Publishers
Report
Nintendo Remains Strong with the Top Spot for the 3rd Year Running in Game
Developer Magazine's Research Report

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Game Developer magazine's highly
anticipated annual Top 20 Publishers report has debuted for 2009, revealing
that publisher Nintendo has maintained its top position on the chart for the
third year running. The countdown, which builds on six years of ongoing
research, includes a wide-ranging reputation survey distributed to industry
professionals, alongside revenue data, release counts, average review scores,
and anonymous feedback from development partners.

The report, which is available in overview form in the October 2009 issue of
Game Developer magazine, is also accompanied by a major Top 20 Publishers 2009
report from Think Services' Game Developer Research Division. This detailed
supplement lists the numerical reputation scores, written comments, and
partner feedback for the publishers in the final listing, alongside game
release and review score specifics by platform, and is now available for
purchase at www.gamedevresearch.com.

Kyoto-headquartered publisher, Nintendo, held chart-topping scores in revenue
and partner feedback, as well as strong reputation scores, allowing the
company to once again stand at the top of the countdown. Electronic Arts
garnered the impressive second slot again this year, followed by Activision
Blizzard, which held the 3rd place spot, Ubisoft, remaining strong in 4th, and
Take Two, which had risen from the 6th to 5th place, switching spots with Sony
Computer Entertainment.

Joining the line-up for the first time are Bethesda Softworks, Viacom's MTV,
and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Bethesda Softworks and parent
company ZeniMax (#7 on the list) have been busy with the internally-developed
Fallout 3 and its new acquisition, noted developer id Software. MTV debuted
for the first time on this list at #14, thanks to the success of subsidiary
developer Harmonix's numerous Rock Band releases, and Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment takes #16.

The 2009 rankings were calculated by considering the number of releases by
SKU, average review scores, and estimated publisher revenue from August 2008
to July 2009. It included the results of a survey conducted to gather opinions
on the major video game software publishers. Nearly 900 industry professionals
from all parts of the game production process were asked to give their
opinions - including comments - on the reputations of each publisher in the
survey, a dramatic increase in sample size over the previous year. In
addition, scores and commentary were gathered from respondents who had direct
experience with the publishers in the recent past, either as workers or
partners, including milestone, marketing and pay feedback.

The full Top 20 Publishers 2009 countdown is available in the October 2009
edition of Game Developer magazine. For more information about this issue, and
to access it in digital format, visit www.gdmag.com. A full Top 20 Publishers
2009 report featuring all statistics, ratings and complete survey feedback is
available at www.gamedevresearch.com.

About Think Services, a division of United Business Media
Think Services connects specialized communities worldwide using educational
events, consulting, training, certification, membership, and innovative media.
Providing comprehensive opportunities for people to learn from, network with,
and inspire each other, Think Services builds strong brands and works within
communities to foster a unique affinity with its products and services. The
division's flagship products include the Game Developers Conference, the Webby
Award-winning Gamasutra.com, Game Developer magazine, the International
Customer Management Institute (ICMI), and HDI. Think Services is a subsidiary
of United Business Media, a global media and marketing services company with a
market capitalization of more than $1.6 billion. To learn more, visit
www.think-services.com.

About United Business Media Limited
United Business Media Limited is a leading global business media company. We
inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events,
online, in print, and with the information they need to do business
successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from
doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from
farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30
countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these communities,
helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and
efficiently. For more information, go to www.unitedbusinessmedia.com

Contact: Sibel Sunar
fortyseven communications
323.658.1200
sibel@fortyseven.com

Tara Gibb
Think Services
tgibb@think-services.com
415.845.1019

SOURCE Think Services

Sibel Sunar, fortyseven communications, +1-323-658-1200, sibel@fortyseven.com;
or Tara Gibb, Think Services, +1-415-845-1019, tgibb@think-services.com