A risky move by Activision is turning out to be a serious cash cow. Now, sales of the original Call of Duty: Black Ops has soared a mind-boggling 15,00% in combined sales on Amazon. This was after just one day that Activision announced backward compatibility yesterday. Additionally, sales of the Classic version had also increased by an also impressive 6,877%.
Video Gamer reported that the backward compatibility service of Black Ops was first announced last year. Black Ops was first released on Xbox 360, PS 3 and PC in November 2010. The game has the distinction of first introducing the highly popular "Zombie" mode as a separate feature. This is still played by gamers online to this day.
The backward compatibility of Black Ops means that there are no spaceships, cyborg enhancements or robots in this game. If you happen to have a disc of this game then simply pop it in the Xbox One or even an Xbox 360 to play the game.
But what is the reason for the phenomenal response by fans to this particular backward compatible game? Dave Thier of Forbes noted that Call of Duty games have always been good at storytelling. This, combined with a tight pace reminiscent of Hollywood action movies, has entranced fans. The fact that it is also a psychological thriller set in historical places is also not lost on the game's fans.
As for revenues generated by the backward compatibility news, Activision is not poised to make much. For one, the Amazon sales are mostly for second-hand copies. However, the sheer appetite for backward compatible games is surely noted by Activision executives.
In fact, more updates on the Call of Duty franchise can be expected. For instance, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is getting a remastering. It will be sold as part of a special bundle together with Infinite Warfare this coming November.
