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For 15 years, Metacritic has been selecting the best publisher based on scores compiled on its own website. Sega was the publisher that showed the best performance in 2024. Capcom took second place this year, following its first place finish last year, proving that it continues to deliver top-notch performance.

Metacritic revealed the ranking of game publishers that showed the best performance in 2024 on the 5th, local time. This ranking excludes mobile games and considers ▲the average Metascore of all games released in 2024 ▲good (75 points or higher)percentage of games that received review scores ▲bad (49 points or lower)percentage of games ▲great (90 points or higher)the number of game titles, etc., are comprehensively considered and converted into scores to determine the ranking. Only publishers that released five or more games last year were considered, and a total of 37 publishers were ranked.

The company with the highest score was Sega. The new IP 'Metaphor: ReFantazio' recorded a Meta score of 94 (PS5), making it the highest-rated game of 2024. In addition, series sequels such as 'Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance' and 'Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth' also received scores of 90 or higher. With a large number of 12 games released and a 'good' ratio of 86%, Sega recorded a total score of 325.5 points and was selected as the best publisher of 2024.

Sega, which ranked 9th last year, became the first company to be named the best publisher three times, following 2016 and 2021, with this year's top publisher award.

Capcom, which was ranked #1 last year, came in second. Capcom did not have a single 'great' game with a score of 90 or higher among its nine released titles, with 'Dragon's Dogma 2' scoring 88 points as its highest-rated game. However, all nine of its released titles received 'good' scores. As a result, the publisher's total score was 323.1 points, which was comparable to Sega's, which was ranked #1. In addition, the recently released 'Monster Hunter Wilds' is showing the fastest game sales speed in the publisher's history, raising expectations for 2025.

Third place was Aksys Games, a localization specialist that also ranked 7th last year. The fact that all five games released in 2025 received 'good' scores worked in their favor in the overall score. Considering that Aksys Games mainly localizes Japanese games, it is possible to confirm the recent strong performance of Japanese games once again.

Meanwhile, Sony was the company that showed the best performance in 2024 among the three major game platform holders, Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox. Sony, which ranked 4th, produced four excellent games, including 'Astro Bot', one of the highest-rated games of 2024. However, the 'good' ratio was 73%, and disappointing results such as 'Concord' lowered the average score.

Microsoft, which received a score of 90 for Pentiment and one 'great' rating, ranked 9th with a 'good' record of 77% out of 14 titles. In particular, Bethesda's 'Indiana Jones' received good scores as a new game title. The expansion pack 'Starfield: Shattered Space', which recorded the lowest score in Bethesda's history, was the lowest-scoring title.

Nintendo, which rarely falls out of the top 10, recorded a relatively disappointing ranking of 22nd in 2024. 'Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door', which scored 88 points, was the highest-rated game, and the good ratio among the 13 titles was only 54%. The reason for this is that a particularly large number of mid-tier games that are difficult to receive good reviews, such as 'Forever Blue Luminescent' and 'Fitness Boxing 3', were released. However, a rebound is expected in 2025 with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2.

In addition, Focus Entertainment, which recorded a 'good' ratio of 91%, led by 'Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2', ranked 5th, and Square Enix, which has a 'great' game with 92 points, ranked 6th. Raw Fury, whose 'Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley' received good reviews, ranked 8th, making it into the top 10 for the second year in a row. Annapurna Interactive and Devolver Digital, which showcase a variety of indie games, ranked 10th and 13th, respectively.

The 2024 Metacritic Best Publisher Rankings and Highest Scoring Games are as follows.

#1 Sega (325.5 points) - Metaphor: ReFantazio (PS5) 94점

#2 Capcom (323.1 points) - Dragon’s Dogma 2 (PC) 88점

#3 Aksys Games (318.1 points) - Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II (NS) 83점

#4 Sony (314.0 points) - Astro Bot (PS5) 94점

#5 Focus Entertainment (309.6 points) - Atomic Heart (PS5) 85점

#6 Gamera Games (303.5 points) - Dyson Sphere Program (PC) 89점

#6 Square Enix (303.5 points) - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5) 92점

#8 Raw Fury (301.1 points) - Sable (PC) 81점

#9 Microsoft (301.0 points) - Avowed (XSX) 80점

#10 Annapurna Interactive (298.7 points) - Stray (PS5) 83점

#11 Kepler Interactive (295.4 points) - Scorn (PC) 75점

#12 Take-Two Interactive (294.0 points) - Grand Theft Auto VI (PS5) 96점

#13 Devolver Digital (291.8 points) - Cult of the Lamb (PC) 84점

#14 Plug In Digital (289.5 points) - Haven (PC) 78점

#15 Digital Eclipse (287.3 points) - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (PC) 85점

#16 Red Art Games (285.0 points) - Ginga Force (PS4) 73점

#17 ININ Games (282.8 points) - Cotton Reboot! (PS4) 75점

#18 Ubisoft (280.5 points) - Assassin’s Creed Mirage (PS5) 82점

#19 Idea Factory (278.3 points) - Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters (PS5) 70점

#20 Plaion (276.0 points) - Saints Row (PS5) 65점

#21 Super Rare Games (273.8 points) - Grapple Dog (NS) 80점

#22 Nintendo (271.5 points) - The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Switch) 96점

#23 Electronic Arts (269.3 points) - Dead Space Remake (PS5) 89점

#24 NIS America (267.0 points) - Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless (PS5) 78점

#25 Konami (264.8 points) - eFootball 2025 (PS5) 72점

#26 Team17 (262.5 points) - Overcooked! All You Can Eat (PS5) 80점

#27 Bandai Namco (260.3 points) - Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (PS5) 94점

#28 3D Realms (258.0 points) - Ion Fury (PC) 75점

#28 Secret Mode (258.0 points) - Little Orpheus (PC) 70점

#30 Maximum Entertainment (255.8 points) - Balan Wonderworld (PS5) 51점

#31 Atari (253.5 points) - Missile Command: Recharged (PC) 68점

#32 Humble Games (251.3 points) - Unpacking (PC) 81점

#33 THQ Nordic (249.0 points) - Biomutant (PS5) 70점

#34 Perp Games (246.8 points) - MADiSON (PS5) 75점

#35 PQube (244.5 points) - Tormented Souls (PS5) 76점

#36 Nacon/Daedalic (242.3 points) - The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (PS5) 45점

#37 Fulqrum Publishing (240.0 points) - Forgive Me Father 2 (PC) 83점

Webzine InvenKang Seung-jin Reporter
2025-03-06