UK Monthly Charts: Xbox Backwards Compatibility Revives Classic Call of Duty Games

The UK gaming market witnessed a significant resurgence of classic Call of Duty titles in July, with 2009's Modern Warfare 2 and 2012's Black Ops 2 re-entering the top five charts. The Xbox Ultimate Game Sale played a crucial role in this revival, offering discounted prices for both games, with Modern Warfare 2 reaching No.5 and Black Ops 2 reclaiming the No.4 spot. Black Ops 2 was available for £11.99, while Modern Warfare 2 could be purchased for £12.49. Aggressive digital game sales on both Xbox and PlayStation platforms transformed the chart, with Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 jumping to No.2 and No.3, respectively. The PS4 versions of these Rockstar games were on sale for under £15, contributing to their ascent. FIFA 23 secured the top spot for the month. The UK gaming market experienced a 31% increase in digital and physical AAA game sales in July, with 2.36 million units sold. Digital download stores accounted for 1.66 million sales, representing a 40% year-over-year increase, while physical outlets sold 701,000 units, up 12% from the previous year. Hogwarts Legacy, released in 2023, achieved the highest chart position among new games, reaching No.6. Pikmin 4, another new release, charted at No.23, although its digital sales figures were not available, potentially affecting its ranking. In terms of physical sales, Pikmin 4 was the fifth best-selling game for the month. GfK panel data revealed a 7% month-over-month decline in game console sales in the UK, but a 7% increase compared to July 2022. The PlayStation 5 maintained its lead, driven by pricing activity on the standard console version, with sales increasing 68% year-to-date. The Nintendo Switch, however, experienced a 15% sales decline in July, with year-to-date sales down 8.5%. The Xbox Series S and X saw a 12% sales drop in July, with year-to-date sales down 22.8%. Accessory sales totaled nearly 550,000 units in July, a 3% decrease from June and July last year. Sony DualSense controllers dominated the charts, with the White edition reclaiming the No.1 spot, and other colors like Starlight Blue and Grey Camo rising in the rankings. Xbox controllers and Turtle Beach headsets also featured in the top ten, with Ear Force 50X at No.7 and Ear Force 50P at No.10. GSD digital data includes sales from participating companies, such as Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, and Electronic Arts, across PC digital stores, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop.