In a first, Microsoft has edged past Sony Interactive Entertainment to claim the crown for Metacritic’s best video game publisher of 2021. Comparing PS5 vs Xbox games in the calendar year, Microsoft averaged 87.4 percent across 10 scored products whereas Sony averaged 81.3 percent across 11 scored products. Metacritic ranks publishers according to the following factors: average metascore for games released in a particular calendar year, percentage of scored products with good reviews, percentage of scored products with bad reviews, and number of titles with a metascore of 90 or higher. The first factor, average metascore, is given slightly more weightage than the others.
An overview of PS5 vs Xbox 2021 game releases
Three of Microsoft-published titles scored above 90: Forza Horizon 5, Psychonauts 2, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Halo Infinite settled for 87. Sony’s lineup was led by Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut, and Death Stranding: Director’s Cut. The company is off to a great start this year with Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon: Forbidden West, but both games missed the cut-off for 2021. With all the aforementioned factors accounted for, Microsoft earned 346.0 points and Sony earned 312.9 to claim second position. Humble Games, Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega, Electronic Arts, and 505 Games rounded up the top ten in this specific order. Square Enix was no. 12, Nintendo was no. 14, Ubisoft was no. 19, and Take-Two Interactive was no. 27. THQ Nordic and Merge Games were among the worst publishers.
Opinion: Microsoft’s lineup is getting better
Zarmena writes… This is going to be an unpopular opinion but Microsoft is firing on all cylinders to increase its lineup of video games, and if that means it has to acquire entire publishing houses then so be it. You gotta do what you gotta do. Last generation was particularly rough for the company so the rebound is impressive. Sony had a lighter 2021 but is on track to reclaim its position in 2022. All in all, it’s a great time to be a gamer.
In other news, Horizon Forbidden West patch 1.07 is out, and we’re not getting a new Dino Crisis.
[Source: Metacritic]
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