Over the past ten years, the gaming industry has grown rapidly thanks to technological advancements, increased accessibility, and a rise in gaming fans around the world. Besides well-known gaming titans, a new generation of startups has emerged, pushing the limits of creativity and innovation in this rapidly changing and competitive market. We can expect more companies to emerge and push the limits of what gaming may achieve in the future as the gaming industry keeps evolving. Here are the top 20 startups that have had a big impact on the gaming industry:
1. Octro
Octro Inc. is an Indian gaming company based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Octro, a company founded in 2006 by Saurabh Aggarwal, is well known for creating fun mobile gaming apps. Among its best-selling titles are Teen Patti, Indian Rummy, and Tambola. Particularly Teen Patti, which has drawn millions of participants, has become a cultural phenomenon in India. For its services to the Indian gaming industry, Octro has won numerous awards and honors.
2. HashCube
Two entrepreneurs, Deepan Chakravarthy and Ramprasad Rajendran launched the Indian gaming startup HashCube in 2008. The business has its headquarters in Bangalore, Karnataka, and is well known for creating social and casual mobile games. Some of HashCube’s popular games include Sudoku Quest and Bloom Blast. The company wants to make games that are simple for beginners to pick up and play while also providing complexity and challenges for experienced players.
3. Dream11
Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth created the Indian gaming company Dream11 in 2008. Users compete against one another for the chance to win cash prizes or other benefits, and players score points based on how well the selected players perform in actual matches. They won the title sponsorship for the 2020 Indian Premier League in August. They have also collaborated with the International Hockey Association, Pro Kabaddi League, and the ICC.
4. Supercell
Founded in 2010, the Finnish mobile gaming company Supercell has had immense success. Supercell’s most well-known and profitable games include Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars. Supercell was purchased by Tencent, a Chinese technology company, in 2016, although the Finnish startup is still free to pursue its own interests.
5. KRAFTON
Leading video game creator and South Korean gaming firm KRAFTON, Inc. The business is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and was established in 2018. Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), the company’s core franchise, is KRAFTON’s most well-known game. A popular battle royale game that attracts millions of players and esports fans worldwide. Apart from PUBG, KRAFTON has been actively expanding its game portfolio with other titles, including TERA, a popular MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game).
6. Scopely
A well-known gaming startup with a base in Los Angeles, California, is called Scopely. Since its founding in 2011, the business has expanded quickly to establish itself as an influential entity in the mobile gaming industry. Some of Scopely’s most successful and well-known titles include Star Trek, The Walking, and Dead Marvel Strike Force. Scopely’s games are accessible to players worldwide, and the company has established a global presence to cater to diverse audiences.
7. Epic Games
One of the top producers and makers of video games, Epic Games is a hugely significant gaming company. Tim Sweeney founded Epic Games in 1991, and since then it has had a big influence on the gaming industry, especially with the development of the Unreal Engine and the enormously successful Fortnite game. The battle royale game Fortnite, which was released in 2017, is highly regarded and rapidly grew throughout popular culture.
8. PortalOne
A gaming firm called “PortalOne” intends to combine gaming, entertainment, and education by developing interactive experiences in a virtual setting. Realistic incentives and prizes are built into PortalOne’s game experiences. For accomplishments on the platform, players can receive awards and recognition, which adds another layer of incentive to explore and advance in the virtual world.
9. Nintendo
Nintendo has had an extensive and distinguished record in the video game industry since it was established on September 23, 1889, by Fusajiro Yamauchi. The business, which is renowned for developing enduring gaming brands and ground-breaking systems, has significantly influenced the development of the video game market. Nintendo is also renowned for its line of handheld gaming consoles, such as the Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS.
10. Mythical Games
Gaming startup Mythical Games is situated in Los Angeles, California. In 2018, a group of experienced game creators and business experts formed the business. “Blankos Block Party,” a party MMO game where players may assemble, customize, and collect plastic toys called “Blankos,” is one of Mythical Games’ most popular products. On the blockchain, these Blankos are represented as special digital currencies, granting players actual ownership of their treasures.
11. Unity
Based in San Francisco, California, Unity Technologies was established in 2004 by David Helgason, Nicholas Francis, and Joachim Ante. The company’s flagship product, Unity, an effective and adaptable game development engine used by millions of developers worldwide to produce games and interactive experiences across numerous platforms, is well-known. Unity supports multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and more, allowing developers to reach a wide audience.
12. Roblox
David Baszucki and Erik Cassel founded Roblox in 2004, and it has now become a worldwide sensation that draws millions of users and creators. Because Roblox is a special platform that lets users make and play games made by other users, it has a strong and innovative user-generated content ecosystem. Games of all kinds, including simulations, adventures, role-playing games (RPGs), obstacle courses, and more, can be found on the Roblox platform.
13. Niantic
The gaming startup Niantic, Inc. has already had considerable achievement and recognition in the sector. A startup within Google, the business was established in 2010 and later went independent. “Ingress,” a mobile AR game that was introduced in 2012, was Niantic’s first significant game. With real-world areas serving as the playing field for a worldwide conflict between the Enlightened and the Resistance, Ingress created the groundwork for the company’s concept for augmented reality games. Niantic gained global fame and popularity with the release of “Pokémon GO” in 2016.
14. Bungie
Renowned game development studio with a long experience in the gaming sector. The “Halo” series, which became one of the most popular and important franchises in the game industry, was developed by Bungie, a company founded in 1991 by Alex Seropian and Jason JonesBungie announced its partnership with Activision to develop a new IP called “Destiny.”
15. LINE Games
The Japanese IT business LINE Corporation, well known for its messaging program LINE, has a gaming division called “LINE Games”. In order to leverage LINE’s enormous user base and network and reach gamers all over the world, LINE Games was founded in 2018 with a focus on creating and releasing mobile and online games. To accommodate varied player tastes, LINE Games’ game portfolio spans a variety of genres, including puzzle games, strategy games, and role-playing games (RPGs).
16. Riot Games
Riot Games, with its headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 2006 by Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck. One of the most well-known and important online multiplayer games in the world, “League of Legends” (LoL), was developed by the company and is its most famous product. The main game produced by Riot Games is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game called “League of Legends”. It was first made available in 2009 and quickly grew to be one of the most popular PC games worldwide.
17. Discord
Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy established Discord in 2015, and since then it has grown in popularity as a platform for gamers to chat, form communities, and plan gameplay. Discord provides a free voice, video, and text chat platform designed for gamers. It allows users to create and join servers, which act as virtual meeting places for communities and groups with shared interests. Discord has partnered with various game developers and publishers to offer special events, in-game rewards, and community engagement opportunities.
18. Playfab
James Gwertzman and Ed Price launched it in 2014 with the intention of offering backend infrastructure and tools for game creators to better effectively create, release, and maintain their games. Player identification, data storage, virtual currencies, leaderboards, analytics, in-game commerce, and other crucial aspects of game development are just a few of the backend services that PlayFab provides to help game makers.
19. Bluestacks
A reputable technology provider of an effective Android emulator for Macs and PCs. Jay Vaishnav, Rosen Sharma, and Suman Saraf established the business in 2011 with the goal of enabling consumers to run Android apps and games without any issues on their desktops. BlueStacks has established itself as one of the leading Android emulators for PC and Mac users, particularly among gamers seeking a seamless Android gaming experience on their computers.
20. Oculus
A business well-known for its virtual reality (VR) gaming goods and technologies. Palmer Luckey, Brendan Iribe, Nate Mitchell, Michael Antonov, and Andrew Reisse founded Oculus in 2012. In 2019, Oculus released the Oculus Quest, a standalone VR headset that did not require a connection to a PC. In October 2021, Facebook, Inc. changed its name to Meta Platforms, Inc., to reflect its focus on the “metaverse,” a vision for a connected virtual space where people can interact, socialize, and engage in various activities.
