Top 10 One Hit Wonder Games Companies!

#10: CCP Games

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CCP Games was founded in 1997 in Iceland, and since then, they have been focusing on one series: “Eve Online.” “Eve Online” was launched in 2003, six years after the company was founded, and it has been its pride and joy ever since. Various other games set within the “Eve” universe have been released, including “Dust 514” and the virtual reality “Eve: Valkyrie,” which was arguably the Oculus Rift’s most acclaimed game upon launch (which admittedly isn’t saying much). They have continued in the virtual reality market with games like “Gunjack” and “Sparc,” but “Eve Online” remains their most well-known title.

Whoopee Camp didn’t last very long, which is a damn shame. The development company is known for the “Tomba!” series, which includes “Tomba!,” released in North America in 1998, and “Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return,” which was released one year later. The series received great reviews due to its colorful world and interesting gameplay, but they sold poorly, and are now rare collector’s items (although you can find them on the PlayStation Network). Due to the series’ poor sales, Whoopee Camp disbanded after “Tomba! 2,” but they left us with some of the best platformers of the PlayStation era.

There is big money in the Facebook and mobile gaming market, and King has taken full advantage of it. Their early Facebook games, like “Bubble Witch Saga” and “Pyramid Solitaire Saga,” were fairly successful, but they struck gold with a little game called “Candy Crush Saga.” The game was released in April 2012, and it was an immediate hit, quickly surpassing “FarmVille 2” as Facebook’s most successful game. King has developed numerous games since “Candy Crush Saga’s” release, including “Farm Heroes Saga” and “Shuffle Cats,” but none of them even come close to matching the phenomenon that is “Candy Crush.”

Cavedog Entertainment began as a division of Humongous Entertainment, a company devoted to making children’s games. Their first project was “Total Annihilation,” a hugely influential and respected RTS which was considered to be one of the best games of the year. It was unquestionably a triumph, but despite its enormous success, the game’s creator left the company soon after its release. In 1999, its sequel, “Total Annihilation: Kingdoms” was released, but it was considered a disappointment due to its move towards fantasy. The company filed for bankruptcy and shut its doors in 2000, leaving a tremendously important title as its only claim to fame.

“Crackdown” was one of the best open-world games released on the seventh generation of consoles. This was due to its highly detailed and interesting setting, spectacular graphics, and its integration of fun co-op mechanics. It also sold well, and is now remembered for being one of the Xbox 360’s best exclusives. And that’s about all that Realtime Worlds has done. They released one other game called “APB: All Points Bulletin,” but it was a massive disappointment which significantly hurt the company. They were placed into administration only two months after “APB’s” release, and the company had closed its doors by the end of the year.

“Fez” was not only Phil Fish’s first indie baby, but it looks like it will be his only indie baby. Fish quit his day job to focus on the development of “Fez,” a tumultuous process which was infamously detailed in the documentary “Indie Game: The Movie.” The game was finally released in 2012, and had sold one million copies by the end of the next year. However, before its sequel could be released, Fish took to Twitter to condemn the gaming industry and announced his departure from it. Since his “departure,” he has worked with his experimental group Kokoromi to develop “SuperHyperCube,” a puzzle game released for the PlayStation VR.

The “Angry Birds” series is undoubtedly one of the most popular mobile gaming franchises in history. The first game was released in 2009 to instant success, and as of July 2015, the series has collectively amassed over three billion downloads. It has also launched numerous pieces of merchandise, a television cartoon, and a movie, all of which saw success. While the franchise has undoubtedly kept Rovio happy, they have created other games throughout the years, including “Nibblers,” “Love Rocks,” and “Battle Bay.” However, no matter how many games they release, they will likely never capture the same amount of acclaim and attention that they achieved with “Angry Birds.”

While you may not know the name, you certainly know his game: it’s only a little title called “Tetris.” Pajitnov developed the game while working at the Russian Academy of Sciences, and it quickly spread throughout Russia and Hungary before appearing in the United States in 1987. He created a “Tetris” sequel, titled “Welltris,” which was released in 1989 before moving to the United States and working for Microsoft. While there, he developed numerous games, including “Pandora’s Box” and “Hexic,” and while that game received some attention, we think it’s safe to say that “Tetris” will forever be Pajitnov’s claim to fame.

#2: Team Bondi

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It must really sting to change the face of gaming forever and then immediately shut your doors. Team Bondi has a single game to their name: “L.A. Noire.” “L.A. Noire” was a huge critical success, mostly due to its amazing and revolutionary facial technology. The game was released in May 2011, but only one month later, accusations of Bondi’s terrible working conditions started to surface, while others argued that the game’s publisher, Rockstar Games, played a large role in its development. The company failed to pick up another project due to the resulting backlash, and Bondi was placed into administration in August.

We don’t know, would you guys consider “Minecraft” to be a hit? It’s only the second highest-selling video game of all time! Mojang was founded by “Minecraft” creator Markus Persson and Jakob Porsér in 2009, and due to the immense success of “Minecraft,” Microsoft bought the company for $2.5 billion in 2014. Since then they have served as developers and publishers of various games, including “Scrolls” and “Cobalt,” but none of them even come close to the phenomenon that is “Minecraft.” They’re a one-hit wonder, but then again, that hit is “Minecraft.”