Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III is expected to be the No. 1 multiplatform game of the holiday season, according to the Nielsen Game Rank service.
Nielsen, which is known for its TV viewership service, is predicting who will be on top this fall based on “overall anticipation levels” measured by the company. Based on its look of games being released from October through December, the company found both perennial powerhouses and some “heavy hitters back from hibernation.”
Black Ops III (at 98 percent anticipation) beat out Bethesda’s Fallout 4 at 95 percent and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate at 95 percent. Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed came in at 92 percent among the multiplatform titles.
“All seven of the multiplatform titles that gamers covet most are being released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC,” Nielsen said.
In terms of exclusive titles, Microsoft’s Halo 5: Guardians on the Xbox One came out on top at 100 percent, compared to Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection at 79 percent on the PlayStation 4. Blizzard’s StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void ranked third on the exclusive list at 91 percent on the PC. Rise of the Tomb Raider on the Xbox One ranked at 80 percent.
Nielsen’s data comes from a survey of more than 4,800 gamers age 7 to 54 between August and September. Nintendo’s Yoshi’s Woolly World was No. 1 on the Wii U at 91 percent while Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden was No. 1 at 86 percent on the Nintendo 3DS. Corpse Party: Blood Drive was No. 1 on the PlayStation Vita at 76 percent.