Most well-known video game developers have achieved their popularity by standing the test of time with great versatility.
Through multiple installments of a great franchise, like Santa Monica Studio, or various outstanding projects, such as FromSoftware,adaptability is a common characteristic among successful companies.
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However, not all developers achieve recognition thanks to many successful games but to a single and exceptional release.
Therefore, let’s go through the interesting path of such companies with thislist of the ten best games from one-hit wonder developers.
10Candy Crush Saga
A Phenomenon Without Equal
Candy Crush Saga
Two years after their first game,Kingrose to unprecedented prominence in the mobile industry withCandy Crush Saga.
This tile-matching phenomenon remains one of the most lucrative, accessible, and popular products in the industry’s history despite it already being 13 years old.
However, King has been completely unable to create anything that even comes close to the level of relevance and impact ofCandy Crush Saga.
Since its release, they have published 16 different games for iOS, Android, and Windows, buteach one has failed to match the popularity of their flagship work or gain any recognition at all.
9L.A. Noire
Breathtaking Thriller
L.A. Noire
Every so often, big video game companies pour resources into creating minor projects that end up winning the players' hearts with immense passion.
InRockstar’s publishing case, that title wasL.A. Noire, a detective action-adventure game people still remember with love and also regret. It was the only thing we saw byTeam Bondi.
The title’s developers were born in 2003 and ceased operations in 2011, during which they could only publish a single project that, despite everything, had a great reception.
Its relevance wasn’t enough to overcome the bureaucratic problems Rockstar experienced with the developer,but it was enough to become known and missed.
8Stardew Valley
An Indie Icon
Stardew Valley
As one of the best indie games of all time, and among thebest cooperative cozy games, everyone knowsStardew Valley.
However, it’s the sole major release fromEric Barone, who only worked onminor,unknown projects and another game that doesn’t yet have a release date.
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I only found out about his upcoming release,Haunted Chocolatier, through the making of this list, as I’d never really heard of it.
Any comparison is unfair, givenStardew Valleyis a gaming icon in multiple dimensions, but ConcernedApe’s name most probably will never be separated from its most famous work.
7Sleeping Dogs
Underrated Gem
Sleeping Dogs
Over time,Sleeping Dogshas become one of the most common names on underrated video game lists, but even so, few know the history of its creators.
United Front Gameshas been on several fronts, including being the authors ofLittleBigPlanet Kartingor even helping develop works such asTomb Raider: Definitive EditionandHalo: The Master Chief Collection.
Despite this, its popular support and recognition come exclusively fromSleeping Dogs' unnoticed quality, whose sequel is one of the biggest losses in gaming in recent years.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only project canceled by the studio, asSMASH+GRABwas also forgotten when they closed, so the developer never had the opportunity to go beyond its main reference.
6Spec Ops: The Line
War Like You’ve Never Seen It
Spec Ops: The Line
LikeSleeping Dogs,Spec Ops: The Lineonly managed to become a cult classic years after its release, as it took people too long to properly appreciate it.
Because of this,Yager Development’s name was hidden for much longer than it should have been, and all of their other games haven’t matched their war shooter’s quality and appeal.
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Dreadnought,The Cycle, andThe Cycle: Frontierare titles that probably mean nothing to you, as they all went unnoticed, especially when compared toSpec Ops: The Line.
They may face the same fate and be loved over time, butMartin Walker’s adventure is what has kept Yager in the collective imagination during the last decade.
A MOBA For Posterity
While it is often the case withmods that become full-blown games,DOTA 2’s is the most talked about due to the magnitude of its existence.
Being the most important eSports game in the scene’s history, withmillionaire prizes from hundreds of tournaments around the globe, it’s one of the most influential multiplayer games of all time.
Despite this,IceFroghas never left its comfort zone, only remaining onValve’s side to continue bringing updates to its MOBA titan.
It makes sense considering the size of the video game in question, butit’s undeniably the only product that supports its recognition.
4Minecraft
A Generation-Defining Game
Minecraftis an extraordinary video game whose popularity is only matched by the biggest titles in history, which makes it all the more curious that it’s the only thingMojangis known for.
Aside fromMinecraft’s spin-offs and a couple of other projects,its sandbox masterpiece makes it practically impossible for the company not to belong on the list of one-hit wonders.
When your first published title becomes a worldwide phenomenon, available on every platform imaginable and known by everyone regardless of their affiliation with video games, there’s no other outcome.
To this day, Mojang continues to supportMinecraft’svoxel blockproposal as its main reason for existing (more so after joiningXbox Game Studios' ranks), so it’s not a bad resolution either.
3Disco Elysium
A Masterpiece We Won’t See Again
Disco Elysium
It’s the kind of game youeither love or hate, but few titles have completely built a studio’s identity likeDisco Elysium.
Not only for being a masterpiece, but also for being the reason that motivated the team’s internal destruction and numerous documentaries and investigative pieces talking about the subject.
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Now that a real sequel toDisco Elysiumis more or less impossible, its value as a main reference forZA/UMhas become even greater. They will always live in the shadow of what they will not be able to do.
We may not receive a successor to one of thebest point-and-click adventures of our generation, but its history inside and outside the game itself will remain alive for a long time.
Video Game Legend
Tetris (1989)
In the long list of video games that have built the interactive medium and become part of modern human culture, it’s difficult to find an adversary forTetris.
Alexey Pajitnovshaped a creation that would transcend space and time, butit would be his only work with the ability to achieve it despite his multiple attempts.
Muddle, Welltris, Faces, Hatris, Wordtris… The Russian engineer and programmer tried everything between 1989 and 2013 to equal his masterpiece, but it was an excessively colossal task.
Although he worked on the original design and concept ofHexic, nothing came even remotely close toTetris, and probably, nothing ever will be.
1Hollow Knight
Independent Perfection
Hollow Knight (Dupe)
Hollow Knightis one of thebest indie titlesever made, and also a great example of why creating sequels is an extremely difficult task.
With so much anticipation forHollow Knight: Silksong, it’s clear whyTeam Cherryhas taken so long to develop a sequel, as overcoming the connotation of a one-hit wonder is as difficult as few things in this industry.
Even beyond how good Hornet’s adventure is,the developer will be eternally linked to its original metroidvania, which is inevitable due to its immeasurable quality and impact.
Belonging to the group of developers that achieved a single hit is a harsh reality, especially when you actively fight against it. Still, being remembered forcreating one of the greatest emblems of independent development is a masterful feat.
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