The highly anticipated re-releases of Call of Duty Black Ops 1 and 2 for PlayStation have exceeded all expectations. According to industry analyst Rhys Elliott, the two titles have sold a combined total of more than 11 million copies on Sony's consoles, generating approximately $435 million in under a month since launch. An extraordinary result that shows how strong the pent-up demand was for these classic shooters.
Shadow drop that made a splash on PS4 and PS5
The games, developed by Iron Galaxy, were shadow-dropped on July 9 on PS4 and PS5, including both the single-player campaign and the multiplayer and Zombies modes. These were not remakes with improved graphics or new features, but rather straightforward 1080p ports, as Elliott put it. This choice was deliberately faithful to the original, and for many fans that was exactly the point. Players wanted to rediscover the authentic experience of those masterpieces on modern hardware.
Sponsored Protocol
A commercial success driven by nostalgia and lack of alternatives
According to Elliott's estimates, Black Ops 2 sold 8.2 million copies on PlayStation (93% on PS5 and 7% on PS4) generating around $325 million. Black Ops 1, on the other hand, sold 3 million copies (94% on PS5) for $110 million. A combined total of $435 million in under a month, an incredible figure. Before these re-releases, the only way to play these titles on Sony consoles was to own an old PS3, as they were never made available via backward compatibility on PS4 or PS5. This absence created huge demand, which translated into record sales.
Microsoft, Activision, and Sony: all winners in this operation
The biggest beneficiaries are undoubtedly Microsoft and Activision, but Sony also pocketed a 30% cut on each sale, amounting to about $130 million. As Elliott points out, Sony earned this sum 'by doing basically nothing,' simply hosting the games on its store. The analyst also highlighted how the revenue generated in a single month from selling these games on a rival platform covers a significant portion of Xbox's quarterly first-party operational expenses.
Sponsored Protocol
Strategic importance for Microsoft and the future of Call of Duty
This success clearly shows that Microsoft has no intention of making Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive. The profits from being on PlayStation are too large to give up. Elliott described this move as 'low effort, low risk, high reward catalogue mining.' Additionally, Activision also released $30 DLC bundles for both games, including many multiplayer maps, further boosting revenue.
A bright future for Black Ops and anticipation for Modern Warfare 4
The analyst added that the success of these ports could pave the way for a true reboot of the Black Ops series, which according to Elliott would 'do absolute gangbusters.' Meanwhile, anticipation is already shifting to the next installment in the series: Modern Warfare 4, arriving in October, with a multiplayer beta scheduled for later this month. The gaming market once again proves that nostalgia, when well managed, can turn into a goldmine.
Sponsored Protocol
To delve deeper into the gaming market trends, you can read the article about Take-Two and GTA 6. Furthermore, Microsoft's strategy with Call of Duty fits into a broader context of managing digital services and the transition to current-gen consoles.
For more information, you can check the Wikipedia page on Call of Duty: Black Ops.
