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As Maryland anticipates a new gaming developer, Zynga, to set up shop in Baltimore, many of its existing companies continue to thrive.

Big Huge Games, which narrowly escaped closure when parent company THQ abandoned it this year, has found a new parent in 38 Studios of Maynard, Mass. The switch cost Big Huge Games 44 employees, bringing its work force to 65, said company president Tim Train.

Since then, the company has worked on a massive multiplayer online game based on the works of comic artist Todd McFarlane and author R.A. Salvatore. Big Huge Games also plans an open world role-playing game similar to the popular "Oblivion" series.

"We think the market is hungry for this type of game, since it's difficult to produce," Train said.

Aside from its success with "Fallout 3," Bethesda Softworks, part of ZeniMax Media in Rockville, has also acquired id Software of Mesquite, Texas, known for its "Doom" and "Quake" shooter series.

Pete Hines, spokesman for Bethesda Softworks, said the two companies share similar approaches to development.

ZeniMax's Online Studios in Hunt Valley, which started in 2007, is also starting up a massive multiplayer online game and has been "hiring left and right" for it. Other games the company is set to release include action game "WET," the post-apocalyptic "Fallout: New Vegas" and shooters "Rogue Warrior" and "Brink."

The company employs 400 people and also has offices in London and Tokyo.

"We're doing pretty well. Games like ‘Fallout' are still selling everywhere," Hines said. "We're focused on what we're doing."

Also moving into Maryland from nearby Washington is Clairvoyant Technologies. The company joined the Silver Spring Innovation Center after winning second place in a county business plan competition. Clairvoyant is designing an educational game, "Pi's Kingdom," that teaches players elementary-level math as they complete several fantasy quests.

"We want to engage students, so we borrow game mechanics," said Jessica Hsu, who founded the company with her sister, Jennifer. "My sister and I have been gamers our entire lives. We believe you learn so much from playing games."

In order to teach, a game must first be fun, Hsu said – and Clairvoyant's style lies somewhere between casual and serious games, the latter of which focuses more on real-life situations, she added.

Clairvoyant is still working on its prototype version of the game and hopes to test it out among area teachers soon.

Outside of the development circles, other companies are also latching onto Maryland's gaming atmosphere.

The Ultimate Gaming Zone opened about a month ago at Lakeforest mall in Gaithersburg, offering gamers 100 titles to choose from. It is one of several to emerge in the last few years, part of a fickle trend of centers where gamers can come to play games by themselves or among friends for a nominal fee. Ultimate Gaming Zone charges $8 per hour or $4 for members, setting up individual accounts for each player to monitor whether the games they select are appropriate for their ages.

"These are the arcades of the future," said Blair Brantley, owner of the center. "People always seem to find money to have their kids come in and play."

Brantley has partnered with several local youth groups to donate game time and focuses on building communication with the younger players. She said gamers especially enjoy the center's stage, where they can put on performances from music games such as "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero."

She said the idea for the center came from watching her brothers produce gaming tournaments with more than 70 people and wanting a place to host more of them.

"The economy can be tough for a lot of people, but we provide an outlet where they don't have to purchase games," said Nick Fitzsimmons, vice president of X30 Gaming Center in Rockville. He said the trick to keeping centers afloat is to always remember he is running a business and that it is not just a "cool way to live life."

X30, which opened in 2005, features 150 titles and always strives to offer its members something different each time they walk in, Fitzsimmons said. The center charges $6 per hour, $4 for student members and $2 for "premiere" members. X30 recently lowered its playing prices in response to the recession but has balanced this by increasing its concession prices.