Blizzard Beats Nintendo As Most Bankable Gamers Studio

Blizzard, the studio behind World of Warcraft, is named the world's most bankable games studio in a magazine list.

You knew World of Warcraft (WoW) was big, but you probably never suspected just how big. But it has over 10 million subscribers and over $1.3 billion in revenue annually, and, according to a new list published by Develop magazine, those figures make Blizzard, the company behind the game, the world’s most bankable games studio, ahead of giants like Nintendo and Grand Theft Auto maker Rockstar North.

Develop based its ranking on industry standing, revenues, and sales figures. Editor-in-chief Michael French told the BBC:

"World of Warcraft has… truly penetrated pop culture, inspiring everything from web memes to episodes of The Simpsons, showing Blizzard’s ability to not only create compelling experiences but also court user expectations."

The list of 100 companies included 12 different developer studios owned by electronic Arts. In the top five, Nintendo comes second, followed by Rockstar North, EA Canada, and Capcom.