The Best Game Developer of 2016

 Honorable Mention: Respawn

It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Starting with a few runner ups, let’s look back at the best developers from this year and our 2016 winner! 

Respawn had a pretty big 2016, releasing one of the most critically acclaimed shooters of the year and taking the reigns on a monumental Star Wars project.

Despite releasing alongside Battefield 1, another massive shooter, Titanfall 2 was a huge improvement on the already solid work Respawn set with the first game. Multiplayer feels tighter and more responsive than ever, adding on plenty of new weapons and gadgets to use. Additionally, you now have the choice between six different Titan loadouts, with each one performing a discernible role. Combine this with newly designed maps and a pretty smooth launch, and Titanfall 2 is a blisteringly fast multiplayer experience.

To top everything off, the game has a surprisingly engaging single player campaign as well. Respawn managed to create relatable main characters in the relationship between Jack Cooper and his Titan BT, yet keeps the adventure perfectly concise. Titanfall 2’s campaign also keeps things interesting by constantly changing up game mechanics, Respawn placing some truly well-designed sections into the game. On all fronts Titanfall 2 succeeds as a unique and engaging shooter.

Even with their own successful sci-fi series on hand, Respawn has also been brought on for one of the biggest universes out there. Earlier this year on Star Wars Day, May 4, it was announced that the studio would be developing a brand new third person action-adventure Star Wars game. We don’t really know anything about the title or when it could release, but 2016 clearly showed that Star Wars is in good hands with Respawn.

Honorable Mention: Id

Id Software is responsible for crafting some the most iconic shooter series in existence, including Doom and Quake. 2016 saw Doom return in a big way, as Id reminded us all why we loved the insane gory action of the original titles.

After so long a wait since the last Doom game, fans weren’t sure what to expect in a modern title. Luckily, 2016 pumped up the action and speed to immensely gratifying levels. The game reboots the series and gives you control of another unnamed space marine on a Mars installation facility. After a few short opening moments, you’re already beating down creatures from hell with all manner of weaponry.

Rather than the survival horror approach of the last two Doom games, the new title focuses on amped-up action with explorable environments and arenas. Speed is the name of the game, as the new Doom Guy runs faster and employs double jumps and ledge climbs to his advantage. A new melee system, known as Glory Kills, lets you perform ridiculous execution moves on wounded enemies and recover health by doing so.

Id has also done a solid job of post-launch content, following Doom up with three different multiplayer DLC packs this year since its launch.

Doom 2016 really reminded us of why we love the series so much, bringing back ridiculously fast gameplay, enemies from the first game, a rocking metal soundtrack, varied and diverse weapons, and a disturbingly gorgeous rendering of Mars and hell. So much of the title feels like a natural modernization of the Doom formula, and a great return for the series.

There’s more good news for Id, however, as the company will also be working on a reboot of the Quake franchise, called Quake Champions. With Doom now back in action, we can only wait to see what Id does with this other prolific shooter series.

Honorable Mention: Ubisoft

Ubisoft had a big year of releases, even if the main series of Assassin’s Creed games were taking 2016 off. They started with a bang by releasing Far Cry Primal, an entry in the series that took us back to the Stone Age.

Far Cry Primal still retained the core formula of the series, but had a bigger emphasis on melee combat, and the Stone Age setting was a marked difference from anything we’d seen. Ubisoft had gone to painstaking lengths to make the setting feel realistic, working with linguists to create a historically appropriate language for the game. It was definitely a welcome variation from the modern entries, despite mixed reception.

We then got the company’s take on a Destiny-style shooter with the release of Tom Clancy’s The Division. Admittedly, The Division had some issues and technical hiccups at launch, but Ubisoft stuck with the game, releasing fixes, new content, and expansions for players throughout the year.

2016 also saw some smaller experiences from the developer, like Just Dance 2017, Trials of the Blood Dragon, and the exciting arcade racer TrackMania Turbo.

The end of the year brought two more big titles for the company, with Watch Dogs 2 and Steep. Watch Dogs 2 was met with pretty positive reception, doing away with the dark and brooding air of the first game in favor of a more vibrant and youthful feeling. The game’s version of San Francisco is surprisingly detailed, and the open world is a joy to explore.

Steep, on the other hand, is an extreme winter sports simulation game. It may not be the new SSX style game you’re looking for, but it’s a good title to kick back and have some fun with.

Ubisoft showed in 2016 that they’re a multi-talented developer. The absence of Assassin’s Creed didn’t hurt them at all, as they were able to replace the slot with other big marquee titles like Watch Dogs. Plus, you can’t ignore the Assassin’s Creed movie hitting theaters this month, a big step for the series regardless of reception.

2017 is looking to be an interesting time for the developer as well, with South Park, Ghost Recon, For Honor and potentially Assassin’s Creed all on the way. Hopefully they’re able to translate what they’ve learned these past months, and make the next even better than 2016 was.

Second Runner Up : Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog had one heck of a year, not just for what they released but what they announced as well. Of course their shining moment of 2016 was Uncharted 4, an almost pitch perfect ending to the adventures of Nathan Drake.

With writer Amy Hennig and creative director Justin Richmond leaving Naughty Dog, development of Uncharted 4 was handed over to Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. The new title definitely adopts a much more serious emotional tone than previous games, but it still retains the heart of what we love about the iconic series.

Uncharted 4 introduces us to a brand new character, Nate’s long lost brother Sam Drake, who’s voiced by Troy Baker. Nate and Sam have instant chemistry, thanks in no small part to their talented voice actors. Nate has changed however, as he’s settle down with Elena and taken a day job. Sam draws his brother back into the life of adventure, though behind Elena’s back. These tensions create a brilliant character piece in more than one regard, as Sam virtually acts as a mirror for Nate, encapsulating the exciting life our main character used to lead.

Across Uncharted 4 we see Nate and Elena both struggle with his fate. Sam himself ends up being a fitting addition to Uncharted 4’s cast, and is a character with more depth than is immediately apparent. The slower narrative pace results in an experience less concerned with huge set pieces, and more concerned with character moments and conversations. Of course, there’s still plenty of action to go around.

Uncharted 4 as a whole feels like a fitting cap to Nathan Drake’s story. The game’s actual ending also brings the entire series full circle in a really brilliant way.

There’s still more Uncharted on the way however, as this year’s PlayStation Experience had a huge showing from Naughty Dog. The developer opened Sony’s keynote with the upcoming standalone DLC for Uncharted 4. Titled “The Lost Legacy,” it features Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross in their own story. Then the developer unveiled something even bigger — the highly anticipated The Last of Us Part II, focused on an older, vengeful Ellie. 2016 showed us that Naughty Dog truly are master storytellers, and that we have a lot more to be excited for.

First Runner Up: Square Enix

Square Enix’s development teams delivered in a big way this year, even outside their publishing hits Hitman and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. The big story of the year is the release of Final Fantasy XV, a game virtually 10 years in the making.

Final Fantasy XV isn’t without its problems, particularly in its narrative, but it shines with its open world, rapid combat, and cast of main characters. Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio are all incredibly relatable characters, whom you grow immensely fond of across your journey. The four develop an interesting bond with each other, something that also plays into their abilities in battle.

Final Fantasy XV is certainly an interesting new direction for the series and has plenty of DLC on the way, but it isn’t the only Final Fantasy title this year. Square also provided a nostalgic throwback title with World of Final Fantasy. The game had an intriguing take on turn-based combat that had you strategically stacking your chibi characters, all while presenting a story brimming with classic Final Fantasy characters and references.

Surprisingly, there’s another throwback title the company delivered with I Am Setsuna. This gorgeous little game is directly inspired by classic JRPGs of the 90s like Chrono Trigger, and it’s done in exactly the same style. There’s also a pretty tragic story to be had, backed up with a beautiful piano soundtrack.

Square kept things coming with strong mobile titles like Deus Ex Go, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Justice Monsters Five, Mobius Final Fantasy, and the remake of Adventures of Mana. Their biggest surprise of the year, though, is probably Dragon Quest Builders. This Minecraft-style game has you playing a hero tasked with rebuilding the world one block at a time. Builders manages to separate itself with a fun story, strong building mechanics, and Dragon Quest’s undeniable charm.

There’s great things on the horizon with Square, seeing as NieR: Automota, Kingdom Hearts 2.8, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Dragon Quest XI and more are all in development. After 2016, fans should feel confident about the experiences we’re getting next.

Winner: Blizzard

Blizzard did it again, delivering Overwatch, yet another worldwide phenomenon to the gaming industry.

Hype for Overwatch had already reached critical mass before its launch thanks to strong marketing along with gorgeous animated shorts. When the game released, we were presented with a colorful cast of characters, each with a vibrant personality. The roster is given so much care in their animations, voice acting, special moves, and trickles of backstory information. Of course, it also helps that the title has some incredibly tight gameplay, with each hero fulfilling a unique role on the field.

As phenomenal as the game was right out of the gate, Blizzard has done an even better job of providing post-launch content. They’ve consistently patched and tweaked the game, balancing characters and fine-tuning mechanics. On top of this, they’ve released new maps, holiday gear and events, and new characters entirely for free. Special timed game modes like Lucioball or Junkenstein’s Revenge have also put a fun new twist on the game for players.

Blizzard has also been incredibly supportive of the esports scene, providing funding and tournaments and even announcing their own initiative called Overwatch League.

As much as Overwatch dominated things in 2016, Blizzard had some other big stuff going on. Warcraft got a feature length film this summer, while World of Warcraft is still going strong and received a fulfilling new expansion called Legion. Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm also continued to receive support throughout the year, holding their own place in the esports world. On top of that, the company announced a full blown remake of the original Diablo at this year’s Blizzcon. The developer really brought their A game in 2016, and hopefully next year is just the same.

Congratulations to Blizzard, the winner of our Best Developer of 2016 award! Be sure to visit back this week for more award announcements including the big one, our game of the year for 2016! For the full list of award categories for 2016, visit our nomination page here.