August 31st, 2023, Rishad Dsouza
YouGov BrandIndex data shows that Buzz around the GTA franchise has soared in the US amid a stream of headlines about the much-awaited GTA VI title.
Recent leaks of the game’s map have prompted analysts and gamers to wonder whether the title is likely to feature one of the most detailed open worlds in the industry. American gamers have certainly taken note about the talk with Buzz scores among them rising 7.5 points in August. This excitement around the title recently bubbled over when a fan intruded the stage at Gamescom to ask about the game.
A franchise’s Buzz score is the difference between the percentage of respondents hearing positive things (from friends, family, or the media) and the percentage hearing negative things about it in the past two weeks. This Buzz movers piece highlights the video game franchises that registered the biggest month-over-month upticks in Buzz scores among gamers. Gamers are defined as those who play on PC or console for at least an hour each week.
EA’s Star Wars Battlefront claims the second spot among US gamers with a 6.8-point increase in Buzz scores. Overwatch claims the third spot with an increase of 6.6 points, possibly aided by the news of Overwatch 2 being released on Steam.
EA Sports FC made the biggest splash among the gamers in Britain with the franchise rising 4.1 points, no doubt aided by the high-profile event hosted in Amsterdam meant to promote the franchise. The franchise marks EA’s first football title since the end of its partnership with FIFA. At the event, EA emphasized its newly inked partnerships with various leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga and UEFA.
Halo (+3.9) claims the second spot in Britain. Halo Infinite’s Squad Battle mechanic – a new 8v8 mode – has been a hit with fans according to reports. League of Legends takes the third spot among British gamers with a gain of 2.9 points.
Explore our living data - for free
Want to run your own research? Start building a survey now
To receive monthly insights about the video gaming industry register here.
To read YouGov’s latest intelligence on gaming and e-sports explore here.
Make smarter business decisions with better intelligence. Understand exactly what your audience is thinking by leveraging our panel of 20 million+ members. Speak with us today.
Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on major video gaming franchises. Buzz score is based on the questions: “Over the past two weeks, which of the following video games have you heard something positive about?” and “Now which of the following video games have you heard something negative about?” and delivered as a net score between –100 and +100. Scores reported represent the change between the 30-day daily average between June 30 – July 29, 2022 and July 30 – August 29, 2023. Scores are based on an average sample size of 266 gamers in Great Britain and 468 in the US. Daily figures are based on a four-week moving average.