Video game publisher

Publisher ( engl. to publish, publish ',' publish ') is the English name for the publisher or publisher. While the term can be used for any form of publishing, it is often used as a foreign word in the German language, in particular for companies that publish and distribute computer games or computer programs.

Fields of activity

Similar to the duties of a book publisher, the publisher takes over the production of media, marketing and distribution of a computer game or program. The framework is defined by a publishing contract with the developer. The developer grants the publisher in return the right to publish the title in one or more countries.

Analogous to the record label or in book publishing, publisher Imprints restructure some their offer by posting under several labels. The company Take 2 Interactive maintains the labels Rockstar Games and 2K Games, the latter with the sub-label " 2K Sports " and " 2K Play."

For large companies in the video game industry publishing software is just one of the various business segments. To operate hardware manufacturers such as Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony and THQ as a publisher. Companies such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard have their own development studios. Contrast, many of the smaller publishers have no own development resources.

Economic factor

The computer game industry has become an important economic factor. She expects in 2007 with a turnover of around 34 billion euros. The after sales currently the world's largest video game publisher Activision Blizzard was created in 2008 by the merger of Vivendi Games, a subsidiary of the French media group Vivendi, with the American company Activision. This transaction cost $ 18.9 billion. Now arise, development costs in the hundreds of millions for the development of a sophisticated and technologically current computer game.

Games publisher in the German-speaking

Since the mid- 1980s, there are video game publisher in the German-speaking countries. One of the first German companies of this kind was Rainbow Arts, appeared on the games like Turrican, The Great Giana Sisters or Katakis. In comparison to the international market leaders are German companies in this industry but of relatively little importance.

Known active publisher in the German-speaking area are:

• Deep Silver
• Gameforge
• dtp entertainment
• Kalypso Media
• TopWare Interactive
• Rondomedia
• Daedalic
• BitComposer
• Astragon

Known today no longer active video game publisher in the German speaking are Ariolasoft, cdv Software Entertainment, JoWood, Rushware, Rainbow Arts, Sunflowers, 10tacle studios, software 2000 and Starbyte software. Many of these former companies were both publishers and developers.

Software publisher in the German-speaking

Often started as an IT specialist publisher with an extensive IT and IT range of books, stand-alone software were formed departments, relocate the computer programs. The principle is similar to the production and marketing of books. The distribution channels were in their early 80s still the same, since many book related traders offer a comprehensive software. Instead of a book author, a software developer is under contract, who or which develops a computer program for the publisher. The publisher assumes in most cases, further processing or finishing of the product by manual writers are commissioned to create an introduction and documentation for the application of the software. Furthermore, the publisher accepts the linguistic proofreading, the testing and packaging design. The most important task of the software publisher is the marketing and distribution of the product. The software publisher acts as a refiner and aggregator to provide software developers the widest possible distribution platform.

Among the pioneers in the industry include Data Becker, SYBEX -Verlag, BHV ( publisher), Markt Technik Verlag, who have built their software departments before 1985. Later, among other Franzis Verlag, G DATA Software, SAD, tewi, United Soft Media and Systhema were added.

Through the Internet and download options for software distribution channels via trade channels such as bookstores or electronics store have become less important. This means that the aggregation function of the software publisher has become less important for software developers. Through its own website, the software developers advertise their product and offer them for download.