Skyrim Tops New Measure Of 'Franchise Engagement' Among Gamers

Market research firm Ipsos says Bethesda's upcoming Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim tops a list of major titles based on a new measure of knowledgeable gamers' interest in a franchise. The firm's new Franchise Engagement Analysis report ranks over 200 recent and upcoming titles by measuring the number of people who say they want to purchase the title as a proportion of those that are aware of its existence, providing what it calls "a unique viewpoint on the 'stickiness' of a franchise." While only 19.2 percent of those in the study said they were aware of Skyrim -- well below the rate for many other major franchises -- a full 56 percent of those with knowledge of the game said they were going to purchase it, a ratio larger than any other title in the study. Despite the high "engagement," only 10.9 percent of all surveyed gamers said they planned on purchasing Skyrim. By contrast, a full 30.9 percent of respondents are planning on purchasing Modern Warfare 3, representing nearly half of the 62.1 percent that are aware of the game. Other titles which showed high engagement include Halo: Anniversary Edition, Uncharted 3, Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Gears of War 3 -- more than half of those aware of each title said they were planning on making a purchase. The data found large differences in engagement based on age -- while Skyrim led among gamers 18-34, Modern Warfare 3 was the most "engaged" franchise for those under 18, while Uncharted 3 led among those 35 and over. Among women, titles like Just Dance 3, Disney Universe and Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games led engagement metrics for each age group. Ipsos' report is based on 52 weekly surveys conducted through August, 2011, each with 1,000 active U.S. gamers aged 13 to 59. Participants were asked about over 200 titles released after September 2010 or to be released before June 2012.