In the world of gaming, the role of the corporation is usually played out by a dastardly, mysterious, and often oppressive firm. For decades, the corporations have been the boogeymen of countless franchises, serving as the creators of viruses, the manufacturers of destruction, or quite literally world-ending entities.
There are hundreds of fictional corporations out there, but unfortunately, not all of them are particularly memorable. However, when the core storyline of a video game, or the origin story for a video game, is built around a despicable, money-hungry corporation, there's a high chance it'll be remembered for years to come. In some cases, these organizations are the games that they operate in, for, without them, the universes simply wouldn't exist.
8 Vault-Tec
Without Vault-Tec, the Fallout universe would have a hard time existing. This is a corporation that has existed since the late 1990s, serving as a shady, misleading organization that constructed dozens of high-tech 'vaults' that were, on the surface, used to shield citizens in the case of a nuclear apocalypse.
However, the reality was something much darker, as many of the Vault-Tec vaults were actually used for dark or destructive experiments. As a corporation, Vault-Tec focused on technological marvels, creating fantastic machines and wondrous devices that changed the lives of everyday people. But, under the surface lurked malicious intent, and there are some theories that suggest Vault-Tec was responsible for the nuclear war that wiped out the world's population.
7 Abstergo
Abstergo first appeared in 2007, ushered in with the introduction of the Assassin's Creed franchise. As corporations go, few are riddled with as much ill intent as Abstergo, serving as the modern-day representation of the Templar Order, an ancient organization that seeks to rule the world with an iron fist. Its chief goal is to rid the world of the Assassin Order, a faction that has opposed its mission for thousands of years.
As the story goes, Abstergo was founded in 1937, working in the shadows to manipulate the world order. There are history-altering references that suggest Abstergo silently fueled the fascist fire that drove World War II, for example. It was Abstergo that developed the Animus devices, which could explore the lives of users' ancestors, which is very much the basis of the entire Assassin's Creed franchise. It's certainly an iconic franchise and absolutely stands firm as one of the evilest corporations in gaming.
6 Umbrella
There are few corporations as iconic as Umbrella, which first appeared in Resident Evil in 1996. This fictional organization was founded in the 1960s, and it quickly rose to become a multinational endeavor. It was a business with many irons in the fire, ranging from industrial machinery and cosmetics to foods and consumer products.
From day one, Umbrella's chief interest was in pharmaceuticals, and by the 1970s, Umbrella was experimenting with bio-organic weaponry, viruses, and dark, mysterious projects. In the Resident Evil franchise, Umbrella caused what was essentially a zombie apocalypse through the creation and subsequent release of the T-Virus. As Umbrella effectively brought about the end of the world and kicked off a multi-generational franchise that spanned several mediums, it's certainly an iconic corporation.
5 Black Mesa
Black Mesa is a government-owned research corporation that operates in the Half-Life universe, and at its peak, it brought about the end of the world. In Half-Life, Black Mesa started out in the 1950s, working as an organization that involved itself with all areas of modern science. It dabbled in physics, propulsion, robots, genetics, and radiation, among other things. It also studied extradimensional realms, which is an important thing to note.
At the opening of Half-Life, released in 1998, the player experiences the Black Mesa Incident. During this event, Black Mesa scientists accidentally caused the 'Resonance Cascade', rupturing the very fabrics of space and causing alien lifeforms to pour into Earth from the 'Borderworld'. As the Half-Life universe unravels, alien races oppress the human race, take over Earth, and generally wreak havoc, all because a corporation couldn't leave well enough alone.
4 Cerberus
While Cerberus started out as a simple paramilitary organization in Mass Effect's timeline, it would grow to become a powerful corporation. This 'human-survivalist' company was founded after the First Contact War, which took place shortly after the human race unlocked the ability to leap through space using the Mass Relay systems.
Following a lengthy period of growth, Cerberus became a shady corporation, seeking to impact the entire universe through sabotage, espionage, and 'media manipulation'. While Cerberus' activities were focused mainly on the human race, the activities of the firm had implications across the galaxy. At the start of Mass Effect 2, Cerberus uses incredible technology to revive Commander Shepard, the series' protagonist, and from that point on, Cerberus is essentially the corporation responsible for the continuation of the entire franchise.
3 Ryan Industries
BioShock launched in 2007, bringing with it an innovative, underwater setting known as Rapture. This was a city built at the bottom of the ocean, far from the tyranny of modern-day society and the oppression of dictating governments. However, Rapture wasn't the haven it was made out to be, and within a matter of years, it would collapse into a hive of crime, addiction, fear, and villainy.
At the head of the Rapture project was Andrew Ryan, founder of Ryan Industries. This corporation built Rapture from the ocean bed up, but it didn't end there. In BioShock, Ryan Industries also goes on to create Plasmids and Gene Tonics, testing them on the population of Rapture. Following the breakdown of Rapture, Ryan Industries builds 'Big Daddies' - hulking, monstrous creatures that roam the streets of Rapture.
2 Hyperion
Once upon a time, Hyperion mass-produced relatively cheap weaponry, but that was only the beginning for this space-faring corporation. In Borderlands, Hyperion would go on to become a manufacturer of epic proportions, responsible for creating a line of destructive, incredibly weapons. At the head of Hyperion is Handsome Jack, a narcissistic, over-confident antagonist with an interest in world domination.
Hyperion wasn't always a malicious corporation, but when Handsome Jack murdered his way to the top, it became the beating heart of oppression on Pandora, the setting for the Borderlands franchise. From the moment he was instilled as the leader of Hyperion, he declared himself the rightful ruler of Pandora. With the power of the Hyperion corporation at his fingertips, Handsome Jack began plundering Pandora for resources, and that's where the franchise essentially begins.
1 Landgraab Industries
It's thought that Landgraab Industries is the largest and most powerful corporation in all of SimNation. This is the fictional world that The Sims has existed in for more than two decades, and the Landgraab corporation has existed within that world since day one. However, while the name 'Landgraab' has somewhat dubious origins, Landgraab Industries isn't an inherently evil corporation.
There's a misconception that the Landgraab corporation concerns itself only with property - that's not the case. In fact, Landgraab Industries is a world leader in home technology, science, education, and consumer products. Since 2000, the Landgraab family has been an instantly recognizable bunch in The Sims franchise, and it's probably the only corporation from the entire universe worth mentioning.