Unfortunately, if you love video games and want to experience the biggest titles, then you must deal with big corporations. It's unavoidable unless you stick with indie titles, but even then, big companies likely own the system you're playing those games on. So, they have a big impact on the gaming industry.

Each one typically begins with a fairly decent reputation. This is because they often get big in the first place by releasing some great games or systems. Sadly, they can't always keep the good rep going. Over the years, their reputation often erodes, and they stop being trustworthy. Here are some examples.

Ubisoft

Few gaming companies are as criticized as often as Ubisoft these days. It wasn't always like that, though. When the company was releasing Rayman, the early Assassin's Creed games, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, its reputation was really good. However, it just kept making more and more games. And it wasn't like the studio was being very inventive in the process.

Instead, the developers established a formula and stuck to it. This has created a Ubisoft fatigue among gamers. On top of that, some of Ubisoft's biggest series, such as Assassin's Creed, feel like they're getting worse instead of better. There is also an issue with bugs, as many of the studio's games often feel unfinished at launch. So, you certainly can't trust the Ubisoft enough to pre-order one of its games.

Bethesda

Bethesda used to routinely release some of the most beloved RPGs ever. After all, it boasts a catalog containing all Elder Scrolls games, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Wolfenstein: The New Order, and many more titles. Yet, it feels the company has lost its way a bit recently.

In recent years, you’ve had Fallout 76, which has improved a bit since launch but still doesn’t live up to the previous Fallout titles. And Wolfenstein: Youngblood has nowhere near the depth or excitement of The New Order and The New Colossus. As for Starfield, it is fine but doesn’t quite feel like prime Bethesda, either. The company no longer guarantees greatness with every big release.

Konami

Konami has been publishing and developing games for many years. Their reputation used to be really good due to series like Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, and Silent Hill. Things went downhill, however, when the company parted ways with Hideo Kojima. Not only did this mean the Silent Hill game Kojima was working on was canceled, but it also meant the iconic developer was separated from his baby, Metal Gear Solid.

While this hurt Konami's popularity, it wasn't the only reason the company pushed away players. It also started moving away from traditional console titles to focus on mobile games and Pachinko machines. This also didn't help the company's reputation. In fairness, Konami has published a few nice remakes recently, including Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid: Delta Snake Eater. Yet, there is still a long way to go before the company reaches the popularity it once had.

Bungie

Bungie became extremely popular in the 2000s, after consistently releasing excellent Halo games. The first three were classics, and ODST and Reach weren't bad either. Then, the company moved on to Destiny. Now, the Destiny games aren't awful by any means. The two titles are actually good, even if they don't match Halo.

However, the live-service element and the constant monetization in Destiny 2, in particular, hurt the studio's reputation. Also, the content vaulting didn't help, either. This is where the developer removes old content - some of which people paid for - to make space for new stuff. The more recently released Marathon is a decent title, but its unimpressive sales show that people don't trust Bungie like they used to.

Bioware

BioWare built a reputation as a studio that consistently delivered exceptional RPGs, often featuring well-written characters and strong choice-based storytelling. The likes of the original Mass Effect trilogy, Dragon Age, and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic were a few of its biggest successes.

Things have changed in recent years, though. The studio isn’t as dependable. This comes on the back of Anthem and Dragon Age: Veilguard. Neither of these titles captured fans' imagination. Anthem was pretty much a broken mess on launch. Veilguard, on the other hand, doesn’t have anywhere near the level of writing and storytelling that BioWare used to be known for.

EA

It seems long ago now, but there was a time when EA had a good reputation. After all, there is a reason its games became popular in the first place. FIFA (now EA Sports FC) was once an exceptional football simulation series, and The Sims has always been great. Yet over the years, EA's popularity has eroded, mainly due to its desire to milk every last cent from players.

After all, FIFA's Ultimate Team mode, where you can buy card packs with real money, really helped popularize microtransactions and live-service games. Not only did it influence others, but EA has also continued to incorporate these mechanics into its other games. Also, glitches are common in EA titles these days, while originality and creativity aren't as prevalent.

Activision

While there are likely some harassment or morally questionable things going on in most big companies, few are as public as the ones that went down at Activision. Stories of Activision's toxicity, harassment, and discrimination are out in the mainstream media. These serious things aren't the only reason people don't trust the company anymore, though.

Filling its games with plenty of microtransactions and generally watering down or ending popular series hasn't helped. For example, Call of Duty is a shadow of its former self and has become different from what it used to be.

Sony

Sony is one of the most influential video game companies ever, even if it isn't just a video game company. PlayStation consoles, in particular, have changed gaming forever. And since some of these systems are really great, such as the PS2, the influence is a positive one. The company was also known for publishing all sorts of iconic single-player adventure games, like Marvel's Spider-Man, The Last of Us, and God of War (2018), at a time when the gaming world was moving toward multiplayer.

Then the company shifted a bit and started focusing on live-service games. This tactic didn't seem to work very well, since most of them never even launched. Now, the company is receiving more backlash for moving on from physical media and committing to digital.

Microsoft

Microsoft is more known for its impact on computing than gaming. Yet, it has still made a huge impact on the gaming industry with its various consoles. The Xbox 360 is still regarded as one of the best systems ever. Plus, publishing series like Halo and Gears of War helped the company's reputation, too. That said, things haven't gone as well in recent years.

Firstly, the Kinect didn't revolutionize gaming like Microsoft perhaps thought, and the 'affordable' Xbox Series S caused plenty of problems for developers. Plus, many of its best exclusive series have either gotten worse or are no longer exclusive. The company also acquired plenty of innovative development studios, and now many have been dumped or are about to be, making the gaming industry a less creative place. So, it has been a difficult period for Microsoft (Xbox), which has significantly hurt its reputation in the gaming world.