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Nielsen Ranks Most-Anticipated Games Of Holiday 2016

by Ian Boudreau on Oct 05, 2016 at 11:46 AM

Media ratings giant Nielsen has ranked the most hotly-anticipated video games slated for release in the upcoming holiday season.

Among multi-platform games, Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare lead the pack, both with "anticipation levels" of 96 percent. Right on their heels is Final Fantasy XV, at 95 percent. At 83 percent, Mafia III and Batman: Return to Arkham are tied for fifth, with Dead Rising 4 (79 percent), Titanfall 2 (77 percent) and Watch Dogs 2 (75 percent) rounding out the list.

For Xbox One exclusive titles, it appears fans are united behind Gears of War 4, which has a 99-percent anticipation level.

PlayStation 4 players have more exclusives to look forward to this season, but Nielsen found the most interest in Batman: Arkham VR, which got a 95-percent anticipation rating. You can check out Andrew Reiner's review of the PlayStation VR exclusive here. Following it up are Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration at 95 percent, The Last Guardian at 85 percent, and Battlezone at 81 percent.

PC players expressed the most interest in Civilization VI (94 percent), but Football Manager 2017 (86 percent), Motorsport Manager (83 percent), and Planet Coaster (81 percent) also made Nielsen's cut this season.

Pokémon Moon (99 percent) narrowly beat out Pokémon Sun (98 percent) among 3DS owners, with Mario Party: Star Rush coming in at 86 percent and Disney Magical World 2 at 79 percent.

The most anticipated PlayStation Vita game this season is Criminal Girls 2: Party Favors, which earned an 89-percent anticipation rating.

To create their list, Nielsen surveyed 6,000 gamers between the ages of 7 and 54. The survey measured interest based on metrics such as product awareness, purchase interest, and consumer rating. Nielsen uses these to determine how much anticipation players have for upcoming games, compared to all other games that have been released on a particular platform. To check out the full list, click on the link below.

[Source: Nielsen]