20. Midway

FY08 Revenue: $176M, +9% (Rank: 18)
FY08 Profit/Loss: -$114M (Rank: 16)
Titles in Global Top 100: 0 (Rank: unranked)
Units in Global Top 100: 0 (Rank: unranked)
Review Average: 58% (Rank: 19)
 

Explanation of Ranking: Midway is one of the lower-tier publishers with revenues consistently under $200 million, and despite modest growth in those revenues it has lost between $75 and $120 million each of the past three years. (Note: Midway's fiscal year ends on 31 December. The data presented here has been recalculated for a fiscal year ending 31 March, to facilitate comparisons to other companies.)

Midway tried to turn its fortunes around in FY08, with several titles carrying big names and big budgets. Blacksite: Area 51 was an unsuccessful first-person shooter whose designer, Harvey Smith, publicly claimed was ruined by its rushed schedule. (He resigned shortly thereafter.) The third-person shooter, Stranglehold, was a videogame sequel to John Woo's classic action film, Hard Boiled, starring Chown Yun Fat. Midway said the game has sold over 1 million worldwide.

Unreal Tournament III for the PlayStation 3 and Windows PC has sold modestly well, but has probably underperformed compared to Midway's expectations. A July 2008 release on the Xbox 360 should help some, although that release will probably receive less publicity.

Looking forward Midway hopes its own license plus that of DC Comics will attract gamers to Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, due to launch in November 2008. Midway will also revive its Blitz football game. Perhaps the most interesting project on Midway's plate is The Wheelman, which is both a videogame and movie starring Vin Diesel.