EA Canada tops Develop 100

Studio behind the FIFA, Need for Speed franchises tops list of most profitable developers based on sales at UK retail in 2006.

Develop magazine has released its annual Develop 100 list, which highlights the top game development companies based on UK sales figures, with EA Canada coming out on top, followed by Japanese companies Nintendo and Konami.

EA Canada, the company which worked on games including Need for Speed Carbon and the FIFA and NHL franchises, were number one for the third year in a row. The company's games alone netted £119 million (approx $235 million) in UK retail sales during 2006, with Canadian developers--which took seven of the 100 spots--reeling in £186 million ($368 million) altogether.

Twenty-eight UK-based studios made the list, including Traveller's Tales at five, Rockstar Leeds at six, EA UK-Criterion, London Studios, Relentless Studios, and Codemasters. A total of £232 million ($458 million) was generated by the UK companies.

The US grabbed the lion's share of the profits, with a total of 41 companies in the list, including Maxis at four, EA Redwood Shores at nine, Amaze Entertainment, Treyarch, Crystal Dynamics, and Epic Games. The US side pulled in £313 million ($618 million).

Popular Japanese companies including Yuke's at eight, Capcom, and Namco made up 16 of the places. Japanese companies in total made up £173 million ($342 million) in sales, with Nintendo responsible for £71 million ($140 million) of that amount.

Other European countries represented were France with Eden Studios and Ubisoft France, Sweden with Avalanche Studios and Digital Illusions, Denmark with IO Interactive, and Romania with Ubisoft Romania.

China and Australia also had one studio each in the list, with Australia's Krome Studios and China's Ubisoft Shanghai.

40 Comments

  • Andron666

    Posted Apr 6, 2007 9:54 am PT

    I stopped playing NfS by Hot Pursuit 2, so who are buying these games ?

    They are rapidly becoming worse and it's dull to only drive by night...

  • imprezawrx500

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 10:27 pm PT

    "EA Canada makes rehashes every year with NFS, FIFA and NHL games.
    Why is everyone congratulating them ???
    NFS is poor, FIFA sux compared to Pro Evo Soccer (by Konami) and NHL !! who plays NHL lol ???"
    nfs carbon is not a reash, its a great games, so a reash now is something that has anything the previous game has? if thats so every ubi game since the first splinter cell is a rehash and talking about splinter cell double agent brought nothing new except crappy level design in the over use of the jba headquarters where half the missons were what ever happened the the great old levels?
    pro evo is great but fifa is much more pick it up and play which appeals to casuals much more

  • rexCo

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 7:20 pm PT

    Good to see a Canadian company topping the list! Shows we can do more than play hockey, eh?

  • pop4

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 5:47 pm PT

    Develop magazine has released its annual Develop 100 list, which highlights the top game development companies based on "UK sales" figures,

  • iku94

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 12:39 pm PT

    good to see the uk doing well, it's only natural for america to have the most being such a huge country and all.

  • kamicolo

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 8:40 am PT

    "O' Canada!" Congrats to EA...sports games really sell, eh

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 4:50 am PT

    UrbanMessiah I want to congratulate my country, Romania, for having a studio in the first 100. And congratulations to EA Canada, of course.

  • UrbanMessiah

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 3:01 am PT

    Wow...A development company that makes FIFA games topping the list of most profitable...In the UK. Oooooh, shocking.

    In other surprising news tonight, researchers state with near certainty that the sun WILL indeed rise again tomorrow and in a stunning move, famed psychic predicts that a black child will more then likely be born somewhere in Africa sometime this year! -=x

  • TTDog

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 2:46 am PT

    Sad that this is based on Sales rather than quality, all the PS2 owning chavs will buy any FIFA or NFS game that hits the streets regardless of quality, even FIFA Street sold and that was total garbage.

    All this says is that the majority of UK game buyers wouldn't recognise quality games if there walked across the street and hit them in the face with a wet fish.

    And as a UK resident this is sad.

  • alishareef

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 12:16 am PT

    EA Canada makes rehashes every year with NFS, FIFA and NHL games.
    Why is everyone congratulating them ???
    NFS is poor, FIFA sux compared to Pro Evo Soccer (by Konami) and NHL !! who plays NHL lol ???

  • GreyFoxV1

    Posted Apr 5, 2007 12:05 am PT

    Wow the Canadian development industry is more profitable then the Japanese? Am I reading that right?

    Anyhow this just reinforces my wish that someone would open up a good studio here in Manitoba

  • wonkisjones

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 9:40 pm PT

    developers are doing a good job
    congrats, canada

  • DS_fan_atic

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 8:26 pm PT

    Yay Canada!

  • gatsbythepig

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 7:25 pm PT

    excellent job

  • Pete5506

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 5:18 pm PT

    Cool, good job canada

  • Somini

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 3:05 pm PT

    I can see FIFA selling well in the UK, but I wonder how well their NHL franchise did there?

  • Purvis11

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 3:02 pm PT

    Congratulations EA Canada...you make me proud!

  • hector1313

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 2:38 pm PT

    That's a bit of a misleading list methinks...

    You can hardly say that the developer that made the most money is the best developer... EA haven't exactly brought out any world class flawless games of late.

    Had the list gone on perhaps the best rated games of the top gaming magazines, perhaps I would be more inclined to believe EA actually deserve this 'accolade'.

    I doubt it though...

  • Thorpe89 Site moderator

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 2:33 pm PT

    I like SSX games the best by EA Canada.

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 2:09 pm PT

    Yeah go Canada!

  • fuman3

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 1:54 pm PT

    waleywu_basic

    I'm from Toronto and I can tell you that NHL games can do NO wrong in this country, it's disgusting, you can have the WORST game ever and it'd still sell.


    I'm sick of NHL fanboys.

    lol true. I used to love Ea's NHL series till 2k came out wich make the best NHl games. It will be interesting though next season with the skill stick from EA coming to the ps3. Im excited. im no fan boy of any game i just pick which games are the best. NHL 2k is starting to get old. They need to step it up a notch.

  • GPSnake03

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 1:05 pm PT

    cool....

  • runstalker

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 12:28 pm PT

    Canada provides some nice subsidies and investment for developers, making it easier for them to open a shop and discounting rent on the location for the first couple of years - not to mention the universal health care system for its employees, further cost-cutting the bottomline. It's a great country.

  • telvisnostic

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 12:10 pm PT

    Interesting.

  • Dasin

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 12:10 pm PT

    "should of been the guys who made STALKER"
    Ya lets give the development team that took almost a decade to release 1GAME a spot in the top 100. RIGHT....

  • yum16

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 12:09 pm PT

    Well of course the Fifa developer got the highest in the UK. Konami, who makes Winning Eleven, is also at the top. It's like the European equivalent to US Football games.

  • whizzedOUTwoz

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 11:44 am PT

    should of been the guys who made STALKER, that games got more heart and soul than anyone of these 100 mentioned. pathetic and misleading top 100

  • whizzedOUTwoz

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 11:41 am PT

    what a poor poll, more like a guess and a whos who of developers, should of let gamers decide.

  • HighlyToxic

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 11:34 am PT

    Canadians make great games. Love Bioware!

  • waleywu_basic

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 11:32 am PT

    I'm from Toronto and I can tell you that NHL games can do NO wrong in this country, it's disgusting, you can have the WORST game ever and it'd still sell.


    I'm sick of NHL fanboys.

  • Donkeljohn Site moderator

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 11:25 am PT

    And to think just last night I was poopoo-ing EA Canda for poor quality. Unfortunately the technical failures within NBA Live 07 and NFS:Carbon may not have diminished the sales of the titles. If there is one thing EA does well, it is pushing product into the channel.

  • nish14

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 11:24 am PT

    yeaaa Canada!!! only the best.

  • deadkingdg

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 11:10 am PT

    I still think EA sucks. Ubisoft Montreal is the best canadian dev IMO. And that's no bias even if I'm from Montreal.

  • RollingZeppelin

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 10:44 am PT

    Canada is teh awesomesauce!!

  • fonzieahmed

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 10:32 am PT

    heh yeah.

  • zxg15

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 10:31 am PT

    GO CANADA!!!!!

    Rockstar North should be high up next year with GTAIV an such

  • drangel_jam

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 10:25 am PT

    I agree.

  • StanleyL GameSpot staff member

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 10:23 am PT

    zsc4, tell that to the creators of Okami or Psychonauts.

  • yboucher

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 10:23 am PT

    Well, it kinda matters to those working in the industry... ;-)

  • zsc4

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 10:20 am PT

    Interesting, it doesn't really matter as long as they deliver great games, right?

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