Welcome back to another Fancensus Spotlight, where state-driven events, store data and press/social momentum show how publishers are shaping what gets seen and what gets talked about. Flare score measures that wider attention across media and social channels, helping us see not just what’s visible, but what’s building real demand. This week, the summer showcase season is the main driver, with God Of War: Laufey leading the press and social buzz and key featured titles boosting their visibility on console stores.

Console Discoverability – PS5

Looking just at discoverability from the day of the relevant showcase, in order to best evaluate showcase impact on console store discoverability, on PS5 stores from 2nd (the day of State of Play) to 14th June , Fortnite took the top spot with a 100 Flare score, which was featured in Summer Game Fest, but would have likely still featured highly. Interestingly, it was followed by Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 at 84 Flare Score, despite being an Activision title and only featuring at the Xbox Games Showcase. EA Sports FC 26 transcending the showcase hype by landing third on 63 Flare Score, while World Of Warships: Legends and 007 First Light both sit at 56 Flare Score. 4 titles in the top 10 featured in a summer showcase, existing momentum seems to broadly trump showcase-driven interest, with a focus on titles ready to play immediately.

Marvel’s Wolverine was the only State of Play title in the PS5 top 10, with a 55 Flare score, even though it’s shipping in September 2026. In contrast, God Of War: Laufey, which topped the press and social rankings, isn’t yet highly discoverable on PS5, placing 41st and not available for pre-order, which further suggests Sony may be prioritising titles ready to buy for its top store positions. LEGO Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight, which was second before the showcase, dropped to 23rd as in light of the increased competition for console shelf space.

Console Discoverability – Xbox Series

On Xbox Series stores, the week from 7th to 14th June (Xbox Games Showcase day, to date) saw Resident Evil 9: Requiem lead with a 100 Flare Score (sister title - Resident Evil: Veronica -was a huge hit at Summer Game Fest), followed by Fortnite at 93 Flare Score and a tight cluster of Xbox Games Showcase titles between 65 to 74 Flare Score.

Half of the top 10 Xbox titles appeared in the Xbox Games Showcase, showing Xbox is prioritising its own announcements for the most visible placements on its store. NBA 2K26, which was the most visible title before the showcase, fell to 8th. Among the new Xbox Games Showcase titles, Gears of War: E-Day has the strongest store presence, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and Halo: Campaign Evolved, which aligns with their respective press and social performance. Six of the top 10 Xbox titles have already released, compared to eight on PS5, hinting further that that PS5 store is less likely to have upcoming titles in the most visible spots.


Press & Social Rankings – All Titles

Taking a look at press & social flare, and slightly extending the time period which was used in last Friday's most impactful titles post, God Of War: Laufey dominated the press and social conversation across the summer showcase weeks, with a 77 Flare score, driven by its big reveal at the PlayStation State of Play event early in the showcase sequence. This suggests the earliest announcements are most likely to receive the most attention, with announcements later in the summer showcase week competing more for attention and have less time to make an impression.

Fortnite and 007 First Light ranked 2nd and 3rd on 65 Flare Score and 51 Flare Score, with ongoing gamer engagement and social activity boosted by their Summer Game Fest announcements. Marvel’s Wolverine came in at 46 Flare Score, and Grand Theft Auto VI at 44 Flare Score, with GTA 6 standing out as the only unreleased title in the top 15 without any event appearance, showing how its hype transcends showcases.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (2026), Minecraft, Final Fantasy VII Revelation, Gears of War: E-Day and EA Sports FC 26 (which was the only other title than GTA VI that wasn't in a showcase) all registered solid scores, while Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Kingdom Hearts IV, Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis and Halo: Campaign Evolved rounded out the top 15. Tomb Raider was the only title in the top 15 to appear in more than one showcase, while Rayman Legends Retold and Control: Resonant (ranked 16th and 17th, respectively) each appeared in three events.


Press & Social Rankings – Indie & Mid-Tier Titles

Among indie and mid-tier titles, Gothic 1 Remake led the way with a 25 Flare score, thanks to its appearances in both Summer Game Fest and Future Games Show and a shadow drop on the same day as Summer Game Fest. Deltarune and Phantom Blade Zero followed on 24 and 16 Flare Score, while Palworld landed at 15 Flare Score.

40% of title titles in the top 15 were featured in the State of Play, highlighting again the benefit of being amongst the first announcements or events of the summer showcase week. Subnautica 2 and Mina The Hollower reached the top without event presence due to their recent launches and strong reception, while Deltarune and Palworld benefited from event-driven updates.

For publishers, this showcase season shows how much weight event timing, platform alignment and store readiness carry. Titles that land early in the showcase week, have playable or pre-orderable versions, and align with platform priorities can command both visibility and conversation. If you want your launch to break through, you need to treat the showcase not as a single moment, but as a campaign framework that connects store presence, press coverage and social momentum.