According to sources at Call of Duty fansite CharlieIntel, the recently released ports of Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 have more concurrent players online than Black Ops 7 does combined across all platforms. While no specific numbers were provided, the claim is striking given that Black Ops 7 is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
Sales Dominance on PlayStation Store
The ports, each priced at £34.99 with a 50% discount for PS Plus subscribers until August 6, have topped the best sellers list on the PlayStation Store in multiple territories including the UK, US, France, Germany, and Italy. Black Ops 2 is the more popular of the two across all these storefronts, outperforming titles such as Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, EA Sports FC 26, GTA 6, Fortnite, Roblox, and Marvel Rivals on the UK store.
Implications for Activision
The success of these older ports may encourage Activision to release more classic Call of Duty titles on PlayStation consoles. Currently, many older Call of Duty games are playable on Xbox via backwards compatibility, but PlayStation systems lack support for titles prior to the PlayStation 4 era, aside from remasters of the first two Modern Warfare games. The popularity of Black Ops 1 and 2, despite complaints about pricing and lack of DLC, highlights a potential shift in player interest toward nostalgic entries over newer releases.
Black Ops 7 has been noted as a downturn for the franchise in both quality and sales, leaving the upcoming Modern Warfare 4 to potentially reverse the trend. The situation presents an awkward dynamic if classic ports continue to outshine modern entries.
