Before we get into this one: Metacritic scores aren’t 100% foolproof and things like review bombs can massively impact the numbers. The following findings are simply a look at the overall numbers. Got it? Okay, cool, let’s get into it.
As 2019 comes to a close one Reddit user has decided to crunch the numbers on Metacritic to compare this generation of console gaming to the previous years. What they’ve discovered is very interesting.
Over on the r/Games subreddit, a user by the name of SomeoneFromAlabama shared a breakdown of their findings on the video games industry based off Metacritic scores, in a post entitled: “I ‘analyzed’ Metacritic’s console game reviews from 2000-present, looking at games with 90 or higher.”
Setting themselves some rules, such as including the highest-rated version of game that released on multiple systems, the gamer/math fan noted the following:
“Immediately noticeable is the fact that the number of console games with a metacritic score of 90 or higher have been much lower this generation compared to the previous two.
“Since the start of this gen, only 30 unique games have received a 90 or higher, whereas 84 did last gen (or 80, depending on where you count the Wii U) and 94 the gen before that.”
The user then posed some questions to the reader: “Are games just getting worse? Are fewer games coming out overall? Or are reviewers developing higher standards?”
While one Redditor commented on the thread saying they believe it’s a sign of a “maturing industry,” others believe it’s down to a smaller pool of games being released.
Although there’s no clear-cut answer as to why the drop has happened, it’s definitely an interesting look across multiple generations of video games.
SomeoneFromAlabama also added in their post that their research also found that Rockstar Games is one of the most successful games companies.
“Rockstar as a publisher is tied with Nintendo in having the largest number of highest-rated games (6),” writes the Redditor. “As a developer (including DMA Designs), they have the largest number of highest-rated games (6) with Nintendo being second (5).”
Check out the post in full right here. Kudos to you, SomeoneFromAlabama for the research!
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