The '90s were a great time to be a gamer. It was an important decade for the industry where the advancements and mistakes made then still affect game developers and studios today. In fact, many of the developers that emerged back then continue to influence the industry to this day. It wasn't happy for all companies, though.
Coming off the video game industry crash in the mid-'80s, the decade was a make-or-break time for many studios. Some studios with previous success began to falter or even fold in the '90s despite releasing successful and landmark titles, while the most unlikely ones seized the moment and reshaped the industry as we know it. Here are five game developers that caved and five more whose careers took off in the '90s.
10 FELL OFF: Cavedog Entertainment
Cavedog Entertainment formed in Washington state in 1995. Their 1997 release of Total Annihilation won them numerous awards, but that came to be all that Cavedog was known for.
Three in-progress games were canceled before the turn of the millennium and the Cavedog was discarded before declaring bankruptcy after their parent company GT Interactive was sold in 2000.
9 STILL RELEVANT TODAY: Black Isle Studios
The studio behind important titles like Planescape: Torment and the first two Fallout games, Black Isles was once one of the most critically acclaimed studios out there. After their late-'90s success, the developer and its parent company Interplay Entertainment began to struggle until their dissolution.
While Fallout is handled by other studios today, Black Isles' legacy still lingers in the standards they set for Western role-playing games.
8 FELL OFF: Shiny Entertainment
Shiny Entertainment is most famous for the Earthworm Jim series, an icon of '90s gaming culture. Earthworm Jim and Earthworm Jim 2 were massive successes, as was their follow-up title MDK. But by the release of Wild 9 in 1998, the company was struggling to make another hit.
After that, Shiny never found their footing again. Earthworm Jim remains a relic of '90s gaming, remembered by those who played it and as a novelty or a fun bit of trivia for those who didn't.
7 STILL RELEVANT TODAY: Blizzard North
Blizzard North was development studio formed in 1993, originally named Condor before being purchased by Blizzard Entertainment. As Condor, they struggled to find major success as they handled ports of games to handheld and other systems. The release of Diablo in 1997 made them a household name. The hit franchise soon spawned a sequel and an expansion pack.
Unfortunately, those turned out to be the last titles that Blizzard North ever produced. Blizzard North eventually fell apart between numerous resignations and project cancellations, including a title for the canceled Panasonic M2 console, but their impact on role-playing games and the industry overall can still be felt even today.
6 FELL OFF: Midway
Midway was once on top of the gaming industry. Their early success was in classic arcade titles like NBA Jam and NFL Blitz. In the '90s, Midway changed their focus to the home console market and secured a place with ports of hits like Mortal Kombat, but their place would not last for long.
That swap in focus coupled with the changing video game market led to a decline that continued until Midway filed for bankruptcy and dissolved.
5 STILL RELEVANT TODAY: SquareSoft
SquareSoft was one of the most prolific developers of the '90s with the release of several Final Fantasy and other Japanese role-playing games. The company began to make missteps in 1999 before making a huge one with Square's first movie, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The movie proved to be a financial failure that had effects on the company as a whole.
Square Soft doesn't exist anymore, having merged with Enix to create the company known today as Square Enix. The legend of Square Soft lingers on, though. Just look at how wildly anticipated the Final Fantasy VII remake was.
4 FELL OFF: Danger Close Games
Formerly DreamWorks Interactive, their early games were average at best (aside from The Neverhood in 1996) until 1999 when they released Medal of Honor. However, the previous abysmal release of Trespasser had tarnished their reputation severely.
Their inability to make any consistently successful titles aside from Medal of Honor eventually led to the studio being relegated to only developing titles for that franchise until the studio was closed after almost two decades of struggles.
3 STILL RELEVANT TODAY: Game Freak
Game Freak made a variety of games that found middling success. They struck gold in 1996 with the release of a pair of games called Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. Pokémon turned out to be an absolute phenomenon and became the world's highest grossing media franchise.
Even if Game Freak were to disappear tomorrow, their impact on the industry would be felt forever. The marketing, diversification and business strategies that made Pokémon successful will always be relevant.
2 FELL OFF: Looking Glass Studios
With amazing titles like Thief, Ultima and System Shock under its belt, one has to ask: How did Looking Glass fall? Simply put, the business itself did, not the games.
The studio suffered financial losses and an inability to secure external funding as deals with Sony and Eidos Interactive fell apart by the end of the '90s. It goes to show that there's more to being a game company than making games, and that even making legendary titles can't always secure a future.
1 STILL RELEVANT TODAY: Insomniac Games
Insomniac started in the mid-'90s and made a name for themselves with Spyro the Dragon and its subsequent sequel Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! for the first PlayStation. The train has continued ever since.
Today, they're going through a bit of a renaissance after the massive success of Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4 and anticipation is high for Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for the upcoming PlayStation 5.