Every year,Metacriticwill publish a list of the top-rated publishers from the past 12 months. A little different from regular game awards which means this one won’t inevitably go toElden Ring. As a matter of fact, despite Elden Ring’s success, its publisher didn’t manage to top 2022’s Metacritic rankings. That honor goes toSonythanks to the heavy hitters it gave the world last year.
Check outthe full rundownof all 45 publishers that made Metacritic’s rankings this year (thanks,VGC). Sony tops the bills after finishing second in 2021, clocking in with an average score of 85.6 across all titles it launched in 2022. Not too shabby at all and unsurprising since it was a year that includedGod Of War Ragnarok,The Last Of Us Part 1, andPCports forSpider-ManandMiles Morales.
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Metacritic’s ranking isn’t based on average scores alone. How many titles a publisher had across the year rated higher than 90 (great game) and 75 (good game) also play a part in the equation, as well as how many games, if any, scored a 49 or lower (bad game). A publisher also needs to have launched at least five games during the calendar year to qualify.
That’s why last year’s chart-topperMicrosoftis nowhere to be seen. It’s no secretXboxhad an incredibly quiet year in 2022 as flagship exclusives such asRedfallandStarfieldhad their release dates pushed into 2023. With hype for both of those games being pretty high right now, it’s possible Microsoft takes back its crown this year. It will have Spider-Man 2 and The Last Of Us Part 1’s PC port to compete with on the Sony side of things, though.
Also ranking highly in 2022 were Paradox Interactive which just qualified for the rankings having published five games last year, and Focus Entertainment thanks to titles like Shredder’s Revenge andA Plague Tale: Requiem.Nintendofailed to break the top ten despite having big hitters likeXenoblade Chronicles 3,Bayonetta 3, andPokemon Scarlet & Violetin its 2022 portfolio.
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