In the world of MMORPGs, a lot can be said about the studios developing the games that we play. Some have lost our trust or confidence entirely, while others have impressed us and gained our loyalty. This category has been created so that you can tell us which of the six editorial staff nominated studios you like best.

Have you ever bought a product simply because of the manufacturer’s name on the label? Ever bought a pair of Nike shoes, or maybe you’re a Toyota driver for life. Are you a Microsoft diehard, maybe you’re an Apple user. Whatever the product in question, people tend to become attached to particular companies and will tend to go back to those companies time and time again. This can be for any number of reasons, maybe you just like their product, maybe you like the way they handle customer support, maybe they always put the customer first or maybe you just like their logo.

In the world of MMORPGs, a lot can be said about the studios developing the games that we play. Some have lost our trust or confidence entirely, while others have impressed us and gained our loyalty.

Vote for your Favorite MMO Studio

Hands down: Turbine.

AC2 aside (which was more of a technology demonstrator in my eyes) Turbine continues to put out a well-polished product. 

Though I wish they would stop with the 2nd party IPs and return to their roots with a new sequel to Asheron's Call 1.

 voted turbine as well for their continous support for the small gem ddo
ccp would get my second vote but since we can only vote 1...

strange how funcom isnt even in the list, even if everyone and their mom would want these guys lynched they should still be considdered one of the nominees

Originally posted by craynlon

 voted turbine as well for their continous support for the small gem ddo
ccp would get my second vote but since we can only vote 1...

strange how funcom isnt even in the list, even if everyone and their mom would want these guys lynched they should still be considdered one of the nominees

That was my oversight, I'm going to add them now. They had a big year this year.

 thanx,

they wouldnt have been my 1st choice anyway but i actually respect them keeping conan up, running and improving with probably low numbers atm while nc soft just shafts their games when things get rough.

ps.: i hope there will be a "newcomer" category so i can promote  spellborne nl a bit more ;)

I also feel it's Turbine.

I like NC Soft games but in the end I feel they are an arrogant company.

Turbine seems to care and though they might not do everything the players want, they have a very strong presence on their forums and seem to actually listen to the playerbase.

Link doesn't work?

Turbine , wins this hands down.

Hmmm no SOE on the list?  Not saying they will be a favorite but they are a major studio with several MMO's.

They honestly all suck. Indie companies ftw.

Wow, what a thoughtless list of nominees.

I've played a lot of MMOs from a wide range of developers, and I'm sorry to the haters out there, but EQ2 offers the best fantasy-genre gameplay I've yet found.

And SOE is a vastly more active developer overall than Blizzard - The Agency looks awesome, and DCUO has some buzz behind it.  Free Realms for the kiddies?

SOE gets my vote, with Cryptic (omgzIwannaplayChampions) in 2nd place.

Turbine. They lived , they learned, and they show it it in how they understand the people who play and buy thegmes, are the most important factor. I've played NcSoft games, SoE games, and they just don't have that level of commitment to the players as Turbine.

i actually have a lot of respect for all of these companies, even funcom even tho they screwed up big.  it was somewhat of a hard choice for me

 Turbine without a doubt. Currently playing LOTRO and I must say that the game is great, and their devs have what feels like a genuine concern of what the players want/need. They put out a great product and I will continue to buy Turbine games in the future.

I think all of these companies did something memorable and positive this year.  It was a hard choice between Turbine and CCP for me.

SOE again gets the flying fickle finger of fate award as the most out of touch with their playerbase developer.  As long as Smedley continues to head that company, we will continue to see mediocre games that do not reflect users interests. 

Smedley's new direction to consoles and cash shops for it's MMOs I view with great skepticism.  I really don't think he is in touch with his customer base.  Only time will tell if I am right.

SOE would get my vote, but they didn't make the list.

 Turbine for sure. I have played games from Blizzard, SOE, Funcom, and Turbine. I must say that Turbine is the most in touch with their customers, and implement features that people want while still keeping the games balanced and very enjoyable.

 Turbine.  Great developer who listens to its subscribers and does this with little fanfare and drama.  They just get stuff done, and they do it very well.  They also provide content/expansions quicker than every 2 years.  LOL!

But we already know who will win purely because of volume and fanboi'ism.

Kind of a tie between Turbine and CCP for me. Both great developers and both (for the most part) listen to their playerbase. They seem more concerned with their current fans than grabbing up tons of new players.

I ended up choosing CCP only because I am currently playing Eve. If I could I'd vote for both.

Turbine here as well, I have been around the mmo world since the start, and in this day and age Turbine is a class act.. All the companies have good and bad points, in all my dealings with Turbine they have have been a class act..

Turbine is the best ! I believe that overcoming the Blizzard ....

CCP hands down, for not straying from their vision while still keeping great player relations and constant free expansions, as well as one of the most immersive experiences I've had in an MMO over the years.

NCsoft. Everything about the GW brand is so solid and professional. It also a company with various major brands within the MMO genre unlike the other nominees. And 2009 will give us Aion and possibly GW2. So even if they should not win this year they seem to be a strong candidat next year as well. 

Turbine hands-down.    I currently am playing only LOTRO and EQ2 but have played games from all but one of those on the list.  Besides putting out polished products (or quickly fixing what gets missed in testing) and the constant free content, their customer service and community participation are heads-and-shoulders above everyone else.  They honestly listen to what the players are saying (although, unfortunately, upper management and $ often has the last say), they have a very strong presense in the forums as well as in the game itself, and they will take one person's problems just as seriously as a major game issue would warrant. 

SOE on the other hand, who rightly did not make the list,  has one of the worst community presenses in the industry.  This from a long time player and active forum member of EQ & EQ2, both from beta and both of which are truly great games in their own way.  As another stated, SOE is out-of-touch with the playerbase.  Their bottom line is 'how much money can we make' and their motto is 'we will do it this way and you'll like it because we know best.'

As for the others on the list, Mythic, CCP, and Funcom all pretty much are in a dead heat for second (well, maybe CCP has a slight edge ) since each has a glitch or two that needs work, either in their games or in their management.

Blizzard is Blizzard.  They have the money to put into their games, but truthfully, I just don't see all the hype over WoW.  The graphics are just not up-to-snuff in this day and age, and they should have the resources to put together more than they have.

I haven't played any NCsoft MMO's, so I will not rate them one way or another.

I voted for Turbine, great company, quality products. 

If I could have voted only for the part of Arenanet that did Guild Wars, I would have done that.  But, after what happened to Tabula Rasa (publisher - "we love it, we love it - wait, now we are cancelling it" - I'm paraphrasing), I couldn't do it.

mszv