Metacritic has revealed its 15th annual game publisher rankings, and its first-ever three-time winner is at the top of the list.
At the top of the list is Sega, on the back of a strong performance by the JRPG Metaphor: ReFantazio, the growing popularity of the Like a Dragon franchise, thanks in part to 2024's Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. All three games were scored in the 90s; Sega's average MetaScore was 82.9, 0.8 points higher than Capcom's, who is set for a big 2025 with Monster Hunter Wilds.
The two Japanese companies were the only publishers with an average Metascore above 80. Aksys Games (Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II), Sony (Astro Bot), and Focus Entertainment (Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II) round out the top five.
Despite Releasing 2024's Highest Reviewed Game, This Publisher Was One of the Worst Last Year
Metacritic's list offers some surprises as to where major publishers landed.
Microsoft, for example, was found in the top ten despite its stigma of having a lackluster software lineup. One thing that helped was that it included the works of all its subsidiaries, most notably Bethesda Softworks,...
