GameSpot introduced a new video game ranking system on June 5 called GameSpot 50, or G|Fifty, which ranks upcoming games based on the level of anticipation from the gaming community.
The gaming news and review site said that G|Fifty is designed to track consumer demand for any upcoming games and post an updated ranking every 24 hours. Rankings are determined by factors such as page views and video streams from both CBS Interactive networks and search data from the Internet.
According to Adweek, GameSpot’s Vice President of Content Ben Howard said that the “advance buzz” has never been more important.
“We really felt that there was room in the marketplace for something which looks at upcoming titles and what the world is going to be playing in the next few years and how our audience is getting into this stuff games six, 12 or 18 months before release,” Howard said.
It is unclear how useful this list will be to the average gamer, but Adweek said Ubisoft has interest in the list as it could reveal what games their audience is interested in and willing to purchase. Ubisoft’s senior director of media and promotions, Jill Steinberg, said the company spends a lot of time studying what motivates gamers.
“It can change all the time. It brings to the forefront games that are very good games that aren’t always exposed,” she said.
Many gamers may find the ranking to be a mere curiosity, though some games could find their way to the top of the list and may pique some players interest.
For now, however, you be the judge. How accurate are these rankings compared to your personal interests? Are these the games you and your friends are talking about?
Here are the GameSpot 50’s current top five anticipated games:
1. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Another Call of Duty… It’s no surprise to see this game at the top of the list, but does it deserve to be there?
The fear is that Advanced Warfare could be much like a recycled version of past Call of Duty games, but with Sledgehammer Games taking the lead development role, things could be different this time around. We may finally see Call of Duty reinventing itself.
Take a look at this Sledgehammer interview posted by Game Informer and decide for yourself.
2. Battlefield Hardline
Not much is known about this game so far other than that it appears to be a cops versus robbers type of Battlefield series spinoff. The release date provided in the trailer is October 21, however, so the details can’t be hidden for long.
3. Far Cry 4
Players in Far Cry 4 will find themselves faced with the challenges of Kyrat, a dangerous area of the Himalayas. The game is scheduled to release November 18 in the United States.
Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemot, announced last month that this fourth installment of the series will have more multiplayer than its predecessor.
“We are working on launching games that will be played for a longer time,” Guillemot said. “This will allow us to do more DLC [and] item-based sales in those games.”
4. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Seeing this title in the fourth spot surprised me, with Wii U sales struggling as much as they have been. With Mario Kart 8 boosting Wii U sales recently, however, we could see Super Smash Bros. retaining a top spot on the list for a while.
5. Destiny
With a planned $500 million budget, Destiny takes the fifth spot on the list. The game has a beta releasing in July.
Check out the gameplay footage below, and you decide. Could it be worth the $500 million investment and a top spot as one of the most anticipated upcoming releases?
