A newly released annual list of the world's top fifty game developers has been published by Game Developer Research, listing the the best game makers by number of studios, 2008 and Metacritic ratings.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, came out on top of the list, ahead of Blizzard, Montreal, North, Canada, Konami, Valve, Epic, EA Tiburon and Treyarch.

Six-hundred developers were also asked their views when the list was being compiled - in order to gain insider views on some of the biggest brands in gaming.

Hal Laboratory, Capcom, Travellers Tales, Game Studios, Games, Games, EA Redwood Shores, Koei, Kojima Productions, Music Systems, Media Molecule, Studios, Vicarious Visions, and Neversoft Entertainment make up the remaining top 25.

By Luke Guttridge