Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Cruise, and Nicole Kidman are some of Hollywood’s most powerful A-listers today. In the video gaming world, a handful of people are considered stars for their longevity and skills in the industry.

It’s not only the players and influencers who can be considered big stars in this field but also game developers, publishers, founders, designers, and PR strategists who are behind some of the most popular titles that we enjoy today. Here we list some of the video gaming industry’s most prominent personalities that fans ought to know about: 

Nolan North 

For ardent gamers who have played almost every title on the shelf, they may be familiar with Nolan North and even more so with his ubiquitous voice. That’s because he has used his vocal cords to give life to many famous characters like Nathan Drake in “Uncharted,” prince in “Prince of Persia,” and Desmond Miles in “Assassin’s Creed.” 

But he isn’t just famous in the video gaming industry; North’s voice is also quite popular in animated shows and movies. Fans may have heard him in “American Dad,” “Family Guy,’ “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” “Rick and Morty,” and “The Epic Tale of Captain Underpants.”

Will Wright 

“SimCity” is a game of city-building first published in 1989. It grew so popular that it became a series that many players still patronize to this day. If you enjoy the game so much, one has to thank the designer Will Wright, who enjoyed creating maps in his first game, “Raid Bungeling Bay,” so much that he was inspired to make another one based on this feature. 

It was said that Wright eventually discovered that he loved urban planning while he was making “SimCity” and was also inspired by “Urban Dynamics,” written by Jay Wright Forrester. 

Notch (Mark Persson) 

Mark Persson, commonly known as Notch, is the game developer responsible for the sandbox game “Minecraft.” He began programming at seven and excelled so much that he was able to create his first game when he was eight, which isn’t surprising if you know that he is a member of Mensa, a society that recognizes individuals with high IQ. 

He founded the company Mojang after he became famous for “Minecraft” but later sold it to Microsoft for $2.5 billion. This instantly raised his net worth to $1.5 billion, and he will forever be the pride of indie game developers.

David Jaffe

According to IMDb, David Jaffe came up with the idea of “Twisted Metal” when he and a friend were stuck in traffic and thought about the possibility of their vehicle having weapons. This title proved to be a massive hit in the gaming community and has been included in the lists of the best games of all time. 

He is also the brains behind “God of War,” which is also heralded as one of the greatest titles. However, Jaffe’s successes are sometimes overshadowed by his infamous outbursts and controversial actions, including when he received backlash for criticizing the game “Metroid Dread.” 

Shigeru Miyamoto 

Nintendo was known for selling toys and other novelties back in the day. Shigeru Miyamoto joined the company in 1977. After learning that the owner wanted to venture into video games just like Atari, he conceptualized one that involved a giant ape, a princess, and a carpenter; hence, “Donkey Kong” was born. 

Then, this was followed by massive hit games like “Super Mario” and “The Legend of Zelda,” making him one of the greatest assets of the company. When rumors emerged that he was retiring, the stock prices were gravely impacted. 

Hideo Kojima

Another Japanese person who has made a name in the international gaming world is Hideo Kojima, best known for his “Metal Gear.” However, as a child, he showed interest in filmmaking, so he first sought a career in production after studying. When he transitioned to game development, his friends weren’t supportive of it, so he lied about his job. 

In 1986, he started working for Konami despite aiming to get a job at Nintendo. Kojima was tasked to take over the “Metal Gear” project the following year, which eventually gave birth to a highly acclaimed franchise. 

Biodocs 

Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, collectively known as Biodocs, graduated with medical degrees from the University of Alberta. Shortly after this accomplishment, the duo, along with Augustine Yap, founded the game developing company BioWare. 

Some of the biggest releases of the company include “Shattered Steel,” “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,” “Mass Effect,” and “Baldur’s Gate.” Unfortunately, the Biodocs retired from the gaming industry in 2012 and have since ventured into different paths, with Zeschuk involved in craft beer and Muzyka in mentoring. In 2013, they earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Game Developers Choice Award. 

Jeff Gerstmann 

Jeff Gerstmann may not be a developer, but he sure knows a lot about games. That’s because he used to be GameSpot’s editorial director, tackling different topics in this realm. Unfortunately, his unfavorable review of “Kane & Lynch: Dead Man” in 2007 might have cost his career. 

It was a devastating event for the journalist’s fans, especially because he had been with the website since he was an intern in 1996. Following his departure, several GameSpot editors have left the company, too. Meanwhile, Gerstmann started his own blog called Giant Bomb, where he shares plenty about his expertise. 

Felicia Day 

Many know Felicia Day as Charlie from “Supernatural” and Holly in “Eureka.” Her voice is quite popular, too, and was heard in “Adventure Time,” “Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters,” and “Skylanders Academy.” Not many people realize that she actually has a strong training background, having graduated from the University of Texas Austin despite being accepted into Juilliard. 

In the video gaming industry, Day is best known for her web series “The Guild,” which is about her experience in playing titles, specifically “World of Warcraft.” This project had won a YouTube Video Award for Best Series and Streamy Awards for Best Comedy Web Series. 

Fumeto Ueda

Despite his status, Japanese developer Fumeto Ueda remains one of the more low-key game creators. He might be considered one of the most popular because of his creations “Shadow of the Colossus” and “ICO” series. He left Sony and founded his own company, GenDesign, bringing along the team that worked on “ICO.” 

To this day, Ueda and his brand continue to thrive, revealing very telling graphics in 2021 and teasing a “new experience.” As of 2022, analysts have predicted that the team will be releasing the new masterpiece within the year.