Sega is elected the best publisher of 2024 and makes history on Metacritic

Company dominates the year with Sonic, Persona, Yakuza, and Metaphor, becoming the first to win three times

If 2024 was an incredible year for Sega, now it's official: the company was voted the best publisher of the year by Metacritic, becoming the first in history to achieve this title three times. The achievement was driven by a series of major releases, including Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Sonic X Shadow Generations, and Persona 3 Reload.

The year Sega got it all right

Sega's catalog in the last year was a true festival of successes. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth brought one of the most thrilling and chaotic narratives of the franchise, earning a Metascore of 89. Sonic X Shadow Generations, with a score of 80, showed that the blue hedgehog still has plenty of speed and style to offer. Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble also made its mark with a solid score of 77, while the company's less acclaimed release, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Sweep the Board, still managed a respectable 71.

But the key factor that led Sega to the top was the impressive performance of Atlus, its subsidiary. In 2024, the studio delivered no less than Persona 3 Reload (87), Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance (87), and Metaphor: ReFantazio (94), with the latter being among the Game of the Year contenders. Additionally, they also published Unicorn Overlord (86), one of the best tactical RPGs of the generation.

Three-time champion - and counting

Sega had already claimed the title of best publisher of the year by Metacritic in 2021 and 2016, and now repeats the feat in 2024. Only a few companies have come close to this dominance, such as Microsoft, Capcom, Take-Two Interactive, and Electronic Arts, each winning twice.

Other industry giants also had strong performances. Capcom came in second place, driven by Dragon’s Dogma 2, while Sony secured the fourth position with hits like Astro Bot and Helldivers 2. On the other hand, Focus Entertainment surprised by reaching fifth place, with the help of Space Marine 2. Meanwhile, Microsoft placed ninth, despite the hype surrounding Indiana Jones and Call of Duty, and Nintendo dropped to 22nd place, a performance below expectations - but that could change with the imminent arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2.

What's next?

Sega solidified 2024 as one of its best years in recent history, but the company has no intention of stopping there. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, and Project Century are already on the radar, as well as highly anticipated remakes of classics like Virtua Fighter, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Golden Axe, and Streets of Rage.

With a solid track record and a promising future, Sega continues to prove that, even decades after its golden age in consoles, it still knows how to dominate the industry.