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Metacritic score-weighing process revealed - report

UPDATE: Metacritic responds, calls it "wildly, wholly inaccurate."

Jeffrey Matulef avatar
News by Jeffrey Matulef Contributor
Updated on

Update: Metacritic has responded to the panel by calling it "wildly, wholly inaccurate."

In an update on its Facebook page, Metacritic explained that it uses far fewer tiers than the research suggests and the disparity between each tier is smaller than the report claims. It also claims that the placement into the various tiers is inaccurate.

"Weights are much closer together and have much less of an impact on the score calculation," Metacritic noted. It then added, "Our placement of publications in each tier differs from what is displayed in the article. The article overvalues some publications and undervalues others."

Of course, until the actual list is revealed, we'll never know how that crazy, industry shifting behemoth works.

Original Story: In an illuminating GDC panel earlier today Adams Greenwood-Ericksen of Full Sail University revealed the true value of every Metacritic score and it's madder than a hatter.

According to the report by Gamasutra, every outlet is placed into one of six tiers of importance. The data was the culmination of six months research where the course director and his students found that their modeled groupings of 188 publications across six tiers produced almost the exact same results as those of actual Metacritic.

Clearly this weighing system isn't based on traffic or pedigree. So what is it based on?

We've contacted Metacritic game's editor Marc Doyle and are awaiting reply.

Often developers' bonuses are based on its game's Metacritic score. I've also heard developers say that their publishers wouldn't greenlight a new IP unless the studio had already made a game with a Metacritic score of over 85.

Below is the full list, according to Greenwood-Ericksen's research:

Weighting -- Critic/ Publication

  • Highest (1.5) -- Dark Zero
  • Highest (1.5) -- Digital Chumps
  • Highest (1.5) -- Digital Entertainment News
  • Highest (1.5) -- Extreme Gamer
  • Highest (1.5) -- Firing Squad
  • Highest (1.5) -- Game Almighty
  • Highest (1.5) -- Game Informer
  • Highest (1.5) -- GamePro
  • Highest (1.5) -- Gamers Europe
  • Highest (1.5) -- GameTrailers
  • Highest (1.5) -- GotNext
  • Highest (1.5) -- IGN
  • Highest (1.5) -- IGN AU
  • Highest (1.5) -- IGN UK
  • Highest (1.5) -- Just Adventure
  • Highest (1.5) -- Machinima
  • Highest (1.5) -- Planet Xbox 360
  • Highest (1.5) -- PlayStation Official Magazine UK
  • Highest (1.5) -- PlayStation Official Magazine US
  • Highest (1.5) -- Telegraph
  • Highest (1.5) -- The New York Times
  • Highest (1.5) -- TheSixthAxis
  • Highest (1.5) -- TotalPlayStation
  • Highest (1.5) -- VGPub
  • Highest (1.5) -- Videogameszone.de
  • Highest (1.5) -- Wired
  • Highest (1.5) -- Xboxic
  • Highest (1.5) -- Yahoo Games
  • Highest (1.5) -- ZTGames Domain
  • High (1.25) -- Absolute Games
  • High (1.25) -- ActionTrip
  • High (1.25) -- Adventure Gamers
  • High (1.25) -- Computer & Video Games
  • High (1.25) -- Console Gameworld
  • High (1.25) -- Da GameBoyz
  • High (1.25) -- Darkstation
  • High (1.25) -- Edge Magazine
  • High (1.25) -- EGM
  • High (1.25) -- EuroGamer Italy
  • High (1.25) -- EuroGamer Spain
  • High (1.25) -- G4 TV
  • High (1.25) -- Game Chronicles
  • High (1.25) -- GameDaily
  • High (1.25) -- Gameplayer
  • High (1.25) -- Gamer 2.0
  • High (1.25) -- Gamervision
  • High (1.25) -- Games Master UK
  • High (1.25) -- Gamespot
  • High (1.25) -- GameSpy
  • High (1.25) -- Gaming Age
  • High (1.25) -- Gaming Nexus
  • High (1.25) -- Maxi Consoles (Portugal)
  • High (1.25) -- Pelit
  • High (1.25) -- Play.tm
  • High (1.25) -- PlayStation Universe
  • High (1.25) -- PlayStation Official AU
  • High (1.25) -- PSM3 Magazine UK
  • High (1.25) -- PS Extreme
  • High (1.25) -- RPG Fan
  • High (1.25) -- Strategy Informer
  • High (1.25) -- Team Xbox
  • High (1.25) -- The Onion (AV Club)
  • High (1.25) -- Totally 360
  • High (1.25) -- WonderwallWeb
  • High (1.25) -- XGN
  • Medium (1.0) -- 1Up
  • Medium (1.0) -- CPU Gamer
  • Medium (1.0) -- Cubed3
  • Medium (1.0) -- Cynamite
  • Medium (1.0) -- D+Pad Magazine
  • Medium (1.0) -- DailyGame
  • Medium (1.0) -- Destructoid
  • Medium (1.0) -- Eurogamer
  • Medium (1.0) -- Everyeye.it
  • Medium (1.0) -- Game Revolution
  • Medium (1.0) -- Game Shark
  • Medium (1.0) -- Gameblog.fr
  • Medium (1.0) -- GameKult
  • Medium (1.0) -- Gamereactor Denmark
  • Medium (1.0) -- Gamers' Temple
  • Medium (1.0) -- GameShark
  • Medium (1.0) -- Gameblog.fr
  • Medium (1.0) -- GamesNation
  • Medium (1.0) -- GameStar
  • Medium (1.0) -- GameTap
  • Medium (1.0) -- Gaming Target
  • Medium (1.0) -- Gamereactor Sweden
  • Medium (1.0) -- The Guardian
  • Medium (1.0) -- Hardcore Gamer Magazine
  • Medium (1.0) -- HellBored
  • Medium (1.0) -- NiceGamers
  • Medium (1.0) -- Joystiq
  • Medium (1.0) -- Just RPG
  • Medium (1.0) -- Level 7.nu
  • Medium (1.0) -- Modojo
  • Medium (1.0) -- MondoXbox
  • Medium (1.0) -- Multiplayer.it
  • Medium (1.0) -- N-Europe
  • Medium (1.0) -- Netjak
  • Medium (1.0) -- NGamer Magazine
  • Medium (1.0) -- Nintendo Life
  • Medium (1.0) -- Nintendo Power
  • Medium (1.0) -- Nintendojo
  • Medium (1.0) -- Nintendo World Report
  • Medium (1.0) -- NZGamer
  • Medium (1.0) -- Official Nintendo Magazine UK
  • Medium (1.0) -- Official Xbox 360 Magazine UK
  • Medium (1.0) -- Official Xbox Magazine
  • Medium (1.0) -- Official Xbox Magazine UK
  • Medium (1.0) -- PALGN
  • Medium (1.0) -- PC Format
  • Medium (1.0) -- PC Gamer (Germany)
  • Medium (1.0) -- PC Gamer UK
  • Medium (1.0) -- PC Gamer
  • Medium (1.0) -- PC Powerplay
  • Medium (1.0) -- PGNx Media
  • Medium (1.0) -- Play Magazine
  • Medium (1.0) -- PlayStation LifeStyle
  • Medium (1.0) -- Pocketgamer UK
  • Medium (1.0) -- PT Games
  • Medium (1.0) -- Real Gamer
  • Medium (1.0) -- SpazioGames
  • Medium (1.0) -- Talk Xbox
  • Medium (1.0) -- The Escapist
  • Medium (1.0) -- Thunderbolt
  • Medium (1.0) -- Total VideoGames
  • Medium (1.0) -- Worth Playing
  • Medium (1.0) -- X360 Magazine UK
  • Medium (1.0) -- Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
  • Medium (1.0) -- Xbox World Australia
  • Medium (1.0) -- Xbox360 Achievements
  • Medium (1.0) -- Xbox Addict
  • Low (0.75) -- 360 Gamer Magazine UK
  • Low (0.75) -- 3DJuegos
  • Low (0.75) -- Ace Gamez
  • Low (0.75) -- Atomic Gamer
  • Low (0.75) -- BigPond GameArena
  • Low (0.75) -- Console Monster
  • Low (0.75) -- Deeko
  • Low (0.75) -- Eurogamer Portugal
  • Low (0.75) -- Game Focus
  • Low (0.75) -- Gameplanet
  • Low (0.75) -- Gamer Limit
  • Low (0.75) -- Gamer.nl
  • Low (0.75) -- Games Radar (in-house)
  • Low (0.75) -- Games TM
  • Low (0.75) -- Gamestyle
  • Low (0.75) -- GameZone
  • Low (0.75) -- Gaming Excellence
  • Low (0.75) -- Gaming Trend
  • Low (0.75) -- Impulse gamer
  • Low (0.75) -- Kombo
  • Low (0.75) -- MEGamers
  • Low (0.75) -- Metro Game Central
  • Low (0.75) -- MS Xbox World
  • Low (0.75) -- NTSC-uk
  • Low (0.75) -- PS Focus
  • Low (0.75) -- PSW Magazine UK
  • Low (0.75) -- Video Game Talk
  • Low (0.75) -- VideoGamer
  • Lower (0.5) -- Armchair Empire
  • Lower (0.5) -- Cheat Code Central
  • Lower (0.5) -- Game Over Online
  • Lower (0.5) -- Game Positive
  • Lower (0.5) -- Gamer's Hell
  • Lower (0.5) -- Gamereactor Sweden
  • Lower (0.5) -- Gamers.at
  • Lower (0.5) -- Giant Bomb
  • Lower (0.5) -- PS3bloggen.se
  • Lower (0.5) -- RPGamer
  • Lower (0.5) -- Vandal Online
  • Lowest (0.25) -- 9Lives
  • Lowest (0.25) -- Boomtown
  • Lowest (0.25) -- Computer Games Online RO
  • Lowest (0.25) -- GamerNode
  • Lowest (0.25) -- GamingXP
  • Lowest (0.25) -- IC-Games
  • Lowest (0.25) -- Insidegamer.nl
  • Lowest (0.25) -- Jolt Online Gaming
  • Lowest (0.25) -- Kikizo
  • Lowest (0.25) -- LEVEL
  • Lowest (0.25) -- Meritstation
  • Lowest (0.25) -- My Gamer
  • Lowest (0.25) -- Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK
  • Lowest (0.25) -- Play UK
  • Lowest (0.25) -- WHAM! Gaming

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