Metacritic recently unveiled its list of top game publishers for 2024, ranking them based on critic reviews alone. The criteria focused on games labeled as “great,” earning scores of 90 or above with at least seven posted reviews, while sales figures and user reviews were set aside. In its 15th annual ranking, Metacritic considered multiple hardware platforms, but mobile games were excluded. Renowned names like Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have claimed victory in past years.
This year, Fulqrum Publishing found itself at the base of the ranking, holding the 37th position with 219.1 points. More familiar names like Atari, Bandai Namco, and Konami also appeared, with positions in the 30s and mid-20s. Electronic Arts, a prominent player, struggled by securing the 23rd spot. Despite its previous successes, Nintendo dropped to 22nd after holding sixth place last year. Electronic Arts’ year was marked by The Sims 4: Life & Death (PC) garnering an 86, while other releases like Madden NFL 25 (PS5) and NHL 25 (PS5) didn’t fare well, scoring 70 and 66 respectively, with even lower user scores.
Nintendo also had an off-year by its high standards. Although Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door received an 88, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom scored 85, falling short of the usual 90-plus scores commonly achieved by Zelda games, such as the legendary Ocarina of Time. However, anticipation surrounding the upcoming Switch 2 and its major releases later this year is likely to boost Nintendo’s standing in future rankings.
Meanwhile, Ubisoft made significant strides, moving up from 23rd to 18th place, and Take-Two Interactive jumped from 25th to a respectable 12th position. The top five publishers, counting down from fifth place, were Focus Entertainment, Sony, Aksys Games, Capcom, and Sega. Sega made a noteworthy ascent from ninth place previously, backed by titles like Metaphor: ReFantazio (PS5, 94), Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance (PS5, 87), and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (PS5, 89). Notably, Sega became the first publisher to achieve the top spot three times, adding to its victories in 2016 and 2021.
