'Call of Duty: Black Ops 4' Most Anticipated Game of the Season, Says Nielsen

A little while ago, it almost seemed like Red Dead Redemption 2 would be the unstoppable juggernaut for the holiday season. However, a new report from Nielsen suggests that another monstrous AAA release could be the dominant one to beat.

Through a poll held by Nielsen Game Rank (based on 6,000 participants), the company notes that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is the most anticipated holiday release. That said, however, Red Dead Redemption 2 isn't too far behind, as it came in a close second.

As for the rest of the games, you can see the full report below, but it includes some popular favorites, such as the forthcoming Battlefield V, which is in third; Fallout 76, which is close behind in fourth; and the just-released Assassin's Creed Odyssey, which is in fifth place.

Other favorites that are a little lower down, but still very much wanted, include both of the NBA releases, 2K19 and Live 19; Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which has been out for just over a month; and Hitman 2, which drops in mid-November.

But things get rather interesting when it comes to platform exclusives, as the rankings appear to be much, much higher. Spider-Man, for example, is sitting pretty at 100, meaning that everyone wants the web-slinger's latest adventure. (And honestly, we cannot blame them -- it's fantastic.)

For that matter, the Switch has a pair of high-ranking titles clocking in at 98 apiece -- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which drops this December; and Super Mario Party, which came out last week.

On the Xbox front, Forza Horizon 4 leads the list at 94. And while that's a slightly lower number, it's a game that definitely packs a punch with the Xbox community. And it's already got a huge audience.

The Pokemon series also got on the board, with Let's Go Pikachu! Clocking in at 88; followed by Let's Go Eevee! close behind with 86.

Now, keep in mind this is just from a survey of 6,000 people. That by no means indicates that final sales numbers will be greater for Call of Duty over Red Dead. But these estimates are interesting, indicating that, even with taking the multiplayer-only route, Black Ops 4 hasn't lost any steam with the fans.

We'll see how it fares, since the long-awaited Call of Duty game will finally drop later this evening for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.