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Years-old Call of Duty PS5 ports reportedly rack up big sales. So, what’s next?
Activision's surprise PS5 ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 have proven a significant commercial success, according to a new report from CharlieIntel, reigniting debate over how the publisher will manage its ageing back catalogue alongside new releases. The strong performance of these budget re-releases raises questions about Activision's future strategy, including whether more classic titles will be ported, and how this affects the current live titles and upcoming releases within the franchise.
The two ports, originally released in 2010 and 2012, have sold more than seven million units combined since launching on 9 July, with Black Ops 2 reportedly becoming the most-played game on PS5 in the week ending 18 July, surpassing Fortnite and even newer Call of Duty entries such as Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7. The decision to port the games came from Activision's Strategy and Finance team, and speculation is growing that other classics, such as the original Modern Warfare titles, could follow, with Xbox players also hoping for native ports given ongoing issues with hacked lobbies on backwards-compatible servers. The success has drawn attention away from the final seasons of Black Ops 7 and the upcoming Modern Warfare 4, which enters beta next month ahead of an October launch.
In short
- Old Call of Duty PS5 ports have sold over 7 million units
- Black Ops 2 reportedly outsold Fortnite in weekly PS5 players
- Success may prompt more retro Call of Duty ports, affecting new titles
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
This is excellent business practice responding to clear market demand. The seven million sales demonstrate players genuinely value these classic experiences, and providing them represents efficient resource allocation with minimal development overhead. Activision is not forced to choose between re-releases and new content—the ports can fund and support new releases whilst simultaneously revitalising communities for beloved older titles. These re-releases directly serve what millions of players are actively choosing to spend their money on.
The case against
The concerning truth this success reveals is that newer Call of Duty titles are failing to engage players as powerfully as games from fourteen years ago. Whilst profitable short-term, over-reliance on re-releases could dangerously distract from addressing this fundamental creative problem at the franchise's core. Rather than capitalise on nostalgia, Activision should interrogate why its current live services aren't compelling enough to retain audiences—the easy profitability of ports may create disincentive toward the riskier investment in genuine innovation the franchise urgently needs.
Explained simply
Call of Duty is one of the world's largest video game franchises. Activision, the company behind the series, has recently re-released two older games in the franchise, Black Ops and Black Ops 2, on PlayStation 5, which originally launched over a decade ago.
The company has traditionally focused on releasing new Call of Duty games each year and keeping recent titles active through online content updates. Re-releasing much older games represents an uncommon shift in Activision's approach, prompting questions about how the publisher intends to balance its ageing back catalogue alongside its strategy for current and future releases.
This decision has sparked discussion about whether Activision might bring other classic Call of Duty games to modern consoles going forward. It serves as an initial test of whether there is significant ongoing interest in Call of Duty experiences that are more than a decade old.
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