2024 was a great year for video game releases. However, despite the awards and sales, reception is a key factor in how a publisher does, as well as how audiences perceive them. Metacritic, one of the biggest critic-based websites, released which publishers had the best track record in 2024 and, despite some stellar standout titles, one publisher reigned supreme: Sega. With three ‘Great’ scoring titles and Metaphor: ReFantazio being one of the top games of the year alongside Astro Bot and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, the Japanese-based company beat out heavy competition like Capcom, PlayStation, and Microsoft.
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In the rankings, Sega narrowly topped Capcom in numbers, as Sega had 325.5 points while Capcom had 323.1 points. Similarly, Sega’s overall average score was 82.9 and Capcom’s was 82.1. In 2023, Capcom took the crown in publishing, as the company released titles like Resident Evil 4 and Street Fighter 6, which were both highly successful and acclaimed. This past year, Capcom had Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, which scored in the 80s. Meanwhile, Sega had three titles that scored over 90 which were Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and, the big scorer, Metaphor: ReFantazio. The last time Sega won Metacritic’s rankings was 2021 and 2016.
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As for the rankings, the top ten publishers can be found below:
- Sega (325.5 points, 82.9 average score)
- Capcom (323.1 points, 82.1 average score)
- Aksys Games (318.1 points, 78.8 average score)
- Sony (314.0 points, 80.9 average score)
- Focus Entertainment (309.6 points, 79.1 average score)
- Gamera Games (303.5 points, 80.2 average score)
- Square Enix (303.5 points, 78.5 average score)
- Raw Fury (301.1 points, 78.5 average score)
- Microsoft (301.0 points, 79.4 average score)
- Annapurna Interactive (298.7 points, 79.2 average score)
Sega had a ton going for it in 2024, not just with its high scorers. The publisher released many new titles like Persona 3 Reload, Unicorn Overlord, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble, and Sonic x Shadow Generations, just to name a few. Fortunately, a vast majority of the titles were high scoring with the exception of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Sweep the Board!, which has a 71. Sega also received a ton of accolades, with Metaphor: ReFantazio winning multiple Game of the Year awards and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth scoring tons of nominations for its narrative.
Interestingly enough, one publisher that usually makes the top ten that wasn’t present this time around is Nintendo. Metacritic ranked the Mario developer 22nd, scoring 267.7 points and an average Metascore of 76.0. With 13 released titles, many of them didn’t hit as well as hoped like Mario & Luigi: Brothership and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. In 2023, the publisher ranked 6th, bolstered by the acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Still, the company, which was once rivals with Sega, is expected to go big with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, which will come out this year. Regardless, Sega is also planning a big year, which has already started strong with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and Two Point Museum, though more focus is expected to shift to its big franchises like Persona, Sonic, and Like a Dragon.
Did you play any of Sega’s titles last year? Which one was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below! For everything Sega, publishing, and gaming in general, keep it here at ComicBook.
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