Metacritic's 15th Annual Game Publisher Rankings
#25: Konami (261.7 points)
13 / 37
Previous year's rank: n/a (of 46)
Average Metascore: 75.3
16 products (7 titles): 44% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 1
Best 2024 game: Castlevania Dominus Collection (NS) 92
In addition to that Castlevania compilation, Japanese gaming conglomerate Konami also received extremely positive reviews for its Silent Hill 2 remake. Those hits helped Konami achieve a decent average Metascore even as well over half of its 2024 releases (including duds like Felix the Cat) failed to impress critics.
#24: NIS America (262.6 points)
14 / 37
Previous year's rank: 22 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 72.1
11 products (5 titles): 55% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak (PS5) 84
Another publisher that saw its average decline by over 4 points last year, Nippon Ichi Software label NIS America saw its ranking weighed down primarily by two disappointing releases: action/RPG Reynatis and JRPG remake/port The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered.
#23: Electronic Arts (264.6 points)
15 / 37
Previous year's rank: 16 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 74.9
23 products (10 titles): 52% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: The Sims 4: Life & Death (PC) 86
The California-based gaming giant fell seven spots in our rankings compared to the prior year despite some mixed results in 2024. It's probably not a great sign that EA's only release to score more than 85 is yet another expansion to its aging Sims property, though reviewers also liked action-RPG sequel Dragon Age: The Veilguard, while a relaunch of EA Sports's long-dormant college football property was also a success. But other EA Sports titles, including the annual NFL and NHL installments, received mixed-to-negative reviews.
#22: Nintendo (267.7 points)
16 / 37
Previous year's rank: 6 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 76.0
13 products (13 titles): 54% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (NS) 88
It's not often that Nintendo falls out of our top 10—let alone our top 20. But it's also very unlike Nintendo to release so many middling products (such as Endless Ocean Luminous and Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer) in one year. Even the company's go-to franchises delivered relatively lackluster results in 2024: Four different Mario titles scored 77 or lower, and the storied Zelda franchise produced its lowest-scoring release in two decades. Expect Nintendo to rebound in 2025 with the arrival of the Switch 2 and likely several high-profile games along with it.
#21: Super Rare Games (270.8 points)
17 / 37
Previous year's rank: n/a (of 46)
Average Metascore: 77.5
11 products (6 titles): 55% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines (PC) 88
Formerly a Switch-only publisher of limited-edition physical releases, England's Super Rare now also publishes original indie games for all consoles and PC. A sequel to the platformer Grapple Dog was the clear highlight of this group, while other releases were more hit (Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip) and miss (OTXO, Completely Stretchy).
#20: Plaion (271.0 points)
18 / 37
Previous year's rank: 32 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 74.6
22 products (10 titles): 59% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: System Shock (XBX) 80
Plaion's figures above—which represent an improvement across the board versus the prior year, even if no game scored above 80—include titles released by sub-brands Ravenscourt, Milestone, Vertigo, Deep Silver, and Prime Matter.
#19: Idea Factory (276.1 points)
19 / 37
Previous year's rank: 41 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 72.9
6 products (6 titles): 67% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: 9 R.I.P. (NS) 84
A smaller Japanese publisher and developer, Idea Factory only received Metascores for six products in 2024, but four of those six were positively reviewed—a huge improvement over the prior year's dismal 11% success rate. That, and a smaller bump in average Metascore, saw Idea Factory surge into our top 20 after finishing close to the bottom a year ago.
#18: Ubisoft (278.3 points)
20 / 37
Previous year's rank: 23 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 75.5
20 products (7 titles): 65% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (NS) 88
One of the larger publishers on our list, France's Ubisoft had a major critical success in Prince of Persia sequel The Lost Crown. That game, though, was a commercial disappointment, as were the long delayed pirate game Skull and Bones and the free-to-play shooter XDefiant. But despite the fact that both of the latter games were met with mediocre reviews from critics, Ubisoft did manage to boost its average Metascore and its ranking compared to one year ago.
#17: ININ Games (United Games Ent.) (278.7 points)
21 / 37
Previous year's rank: 24 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 74.7
9 products (6 titles): 67% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III (PS5) 82
A slight increase in average Metascore helped ININ Games jump up seven spots in our rankings compared to the previous year. Four of the publisher's six mostly retro-inspired titles (including a Shadow of the Ninja remake) received a positive reception from critics.
#16: Red Art Games (281.1 points)
22 / 37
Previous year's rank: 20 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 74.6
10 products (6 titles): 70% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Promenade (XBX) 88
Despite somehow finishing with the exact same point total (281.1) as it did last year, Red Art actually rose four spots in our rankings. Holding the small French publisher back a bit were a pair of disappointing Switch products, Goblin Slayer Another Adventurer: Nightmare Feast and Elrentaros Wanderings.
#15: Digital Eclipse (282.1 points)
23 / 37
Previous year's rank: n/a (of 46)
Average Metascore: 78.3
17 products (5 titles): 65% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Tetris Forever (XBX) 89
Actually a subsidiary of Atari but operated separately, California based developer/publisher Digital Eclipse is known for celebrating classic games through both remakes and unique packages (like their excellent 2024 release Tetris Forever) that document a game's history. But critics felt that a few 2024 remakes—especially a 3D revival of the 1981 classic Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord—fell short of the mark.
#14: Plug In Digital (282.3 points)
24 / 37
Previous year's rank: 28 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 75.4
13 products (8 titles): 69% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Mindcop (PC) 85
Publishing games under the Dear Villagers and PID Games brands, France's Plug In Digital saw a nearly two-point increase in average Metascore this year compared to the prior year's results while increasing its positive-review rate from 44% to 69%.
#13: Devolver Digital (282.4 points)
25 / 37
Previous year's rank: 11 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 78.1
23 products (12 titles): 65% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: The Talos Principle 2: Road to Elysium (PC) 90*
While a DLC package for 2023 hit The Talos Principle 2 was technically Devolver's highest-scoring 2024 product, the best fully new release from the Texas-based indie publisher over the past year was the Journey-esque puzzle-platformer Neva. Devolver expanded to add a second publishing brand, Big Fan Games, last fall, though that label's first new release won't arrive until this year.
* That 90 score is based on just 4 reviews and thus is ineligible for the "great" game bonus points (which requires at least 7 reviews).
#12: Take-Two Interactive (289.9 points)
26 / 37
Previous year's rank: 25 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 76.1
12 products (6 titles): 75% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Red Dead Redemption Featuring Undead Nightmare (PC) 83
Despite a lack of any superlative new products (the company's highest-scoring release, for the second straight year, was yet another port of Red Dead Redemption), Take-Two saw improvements across the board in its 2024 numbers compared to the prior year. The figures above include products published under the brands 2K, Rockstar Games, and Zynga—plus one title (Homeworld 3) from the newly acquired Gearbox—but does not include any games released by former subsidiary Private Division, which was sold off last fall.
#11: Kepler Interactive (293.1 points)
27 / 37
Previous year's rank: n/a (of 46)
Average Metascore: 78.8
12 products (5 titles): 75% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Cat Quest III (NS) 86
Operating out of London and Singapore, Kepler typically publishes too few titles per year to qualify for our ranking. But 2024 saw the company release a relative bounty of products including not just the well-reviewed feline pirate game Cat Quest III but also Ultros, Pacific Drive, and the less successful Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.
#10: Annapurna Interactive (298.7 points)
28 / 37
Previous year's rank: 5 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 79.2
10 products (5 titles): 80% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (PS5) 91*
Despite another top-10 finish, 2024 was a bumpy year for indie game label Annapurna Interactive, which saw its entire staff resign en masse in September following a multi-faceted dispute with ownership. Still, Annapurna's 2024 game slate, led by puzzler Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, mostly pleased reviewers.
* That 90 score is based on just 5 reviews and thus is ineligible for the "great" game bonus points (which requires at least 7 reviews).
#9: Microsoft (301.0 points)
29 / 37
Previous year's rank: 15 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 79.4
26 products (14 titles): 77% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 1
Best 2024 game: Pentiment (NS) 90
The figures above include games published by all of Microsoft Gaming's growing list of subsidiaries, including Bethesda Softworks, Activision, and Blizzard, in addition to Xbox Game Studios. It was Microsoft proper that was responsible for the company's highest-scoring 2024 release, a new Switch port of the one-time Xbox-exclusive RPG adventure Pentiment. Bethesda saw great success with its Indiana Jones game, while the highest-scoring 2024 titles from Activision and Blizzard were Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and World of Warcraft: The War Within, respectively. Microsoft's overall lowest-scoring title of 2024 belonged to Bethesda: It was the expansion Starfield: Shattered Space.
#8: Raw Fury (301.1 points)
30 / 37
Previous year's rank: 2 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 78.5
6 products (5 titles): 83% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley (PC) 83
Swedish publisher Raw Fury landed in our top 10 for the second straight year—once again in spite of topping out at 83 for its highest-scored release. Unlike the prior year, Raw Fury didn't have a perfect record in 2024: One title (Star Trucker) received less than positive reviews.
#6 (tie): Square Enix (303.5 points)
31 / 37
Previous year's rank: 19 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 78.5
26 products (12 titles): 81% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 1
Best 2024 game: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5) 92
Improving its rank for the second straight year, Square Enix didn't actually see much of a change in its average Metascore. But the Japanese giant avoided releasing any truly bad games in 2024, and it even managed to release a great one: Action-RPG sequel/remake Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, one of the past year's most acclaimed games. A sequel to that title is now in development, though several other upcoming Square Enix projects were canceled last year.
#6 (tie): Gamera Games (303.5 points)
32 / 37
Previous year's rank: n/a (of 46)
Average Metascore: 80.2
6 products (6 titles): 83% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Shogun Showdown (PC) 88
Global indie publisher Gamera is credited as a co-publisher on a number of PC games released in the U.S., most notable the roguelike Shogun Showdown and the open-world puzzle adventure Isles of Sea and Sky.
#5: Focus Entertainment (309.6 points)
33 / 37
Previous year's rank: 18 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 79.1
11 products (5 titles): 91% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II (XBX) 83
French publisher Focus Entertainment received less-than-positive reviews for just one of its 11 scored products last year: Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun - Forges of Corruption. Otherwise, it was nothing but green Metascores for products like Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Expeditions: A MudRunner Game.
#4: Sony (314.0 points)
34 / 37
Previous year's rank: 13 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 80.9
22 products (14 titles): 73% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 4
Best 2024 game: Astro Bot (PS5) 94
Sony led all publishers with four separate titles scoring 90 or higher. That group includes not just Metacritic Game of the Year Astro Bot but also Destiny 2: The Final Shape (published by subsidiary Bungie, whose products are included in the figures above), The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and a PC port of God of War: Ragnarok. That bounty helped Sony jump nine spots in our rankings compared to the previous year (when it dropped 12 spots). Still, Sony experienced a few disappointments in 2024, most notoriously Concord, which was met by middling at best reviews and such dismal sales figures that Sony shut down the game (and offered refunds) just two weeks after launch.
#3: Aksys Games (318.1 points)
35 / 37
Previous year's rank: 7 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 78.8
5 products (5 titles): 100% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II (NS) 83
The second-straight top-10 finish for the California publisher and localization specialist was enabled in part by the company's 100% success rate: All five of its 2024 products received positive reviews from critics.
#2: Capcom (323.1 points)
36 / 37
Previous year's rank: 1 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 82.1
25 products (9 titles): 100% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 0
Best 2024 game: Dragon's Dogma 2 (PC) 88
Despite releasing no games with a score of 90 or higher, Capcom nearly topped our rankings for the second consecutive year thanks to the overall strength of its offerings. Every Capcom release in 2024 received positive reviews from critics (even if many of those releases were merely repackages of older titles like Ace Attorney). And 2025 is shaping up to be another big year for Capcom, with the just-released Monster Hunter Wilds becoming the publisher's fastest-selling game in history.
#1: Sega (325.5 points)
37 / 37
Previous year's rank: 9 (of 46)
Average Metascore: 82.9
29 products (12 titles): 86% good, 0% bad
"Great" games: 3
Best 2024 game: Metaphor: ReFantazio (PS5) 94
The first publisher to achieve our #1 ranking three times, Sega was buoyed by the massive critical acclaim for the JRPG Metaphor: ReFantazio, a rare all-new IP in a sea of remakes, ports, and sequels. (And speaking of the latter, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth also scored in the 90s.) Sega's only real dud last year was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Sweep the Board!, and even with that disappointment the publisher still finished with the year's highest average Metascore.
Top publishers in previous years:
2023 – Capcom
2022 – Sony
2021 – Microsoft
2020 – Sega
2019 – 505 Games
2018 – Capcom
2017 – Bethesda Softworks
2016 – Electronic Arts
2015 – Sega
2014 – Nintendo
2013 – Take-Two Interactive
2012 – Electronic Arts
2011 – Microsoft
2010 – Take-Two Interactive
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