Xbox Backwards Compatibility Revitalizes Classic Call of Duty Titles in UK Monthly Charts

The UK gaming scene witnessed a significant resurgence of classic Call of Duty titles, with 2009's Modern Warfare 2 and 2012's Black Ops 2 re-entering the top five due to Xbox backwards compatibility and discounted prices in the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale. Modern Warfare 2 secured the fifth spot, while Black Ops 2 climbed to fourth, with prices set at £12.49 and £11.99, respectively. The summer sales also propelled Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 to second and third places, with both games available at discounted prices across Xbox and PlayStation platforms. FIFA 23 topped the charts for the month, with a total of 2.36 million digital and physical AAA games sold in the UK, marking a 31% increase from the previous year. The data, courtesy of GSD, revealed that 1.66 million games were sold digitally, up 40% year-over-year, while 701,000 were sold through physical outlets, representing a 12% increase. Hogwarts Legacy, released in 2023, secured the sixth position, and Pikmin 4, the highest-charting new title, debuted at 23. However, if digital sales were included, Pikmin 4 might have charted higher. In terms of hardware, console sales dropped 7% month-over-month but rose 7% compared to July 2022. The PlayStation 5 maintained its market lead, driven by pricing activity on the standard console version, with sales increasing 68% year-to-date. The Nintendo Switch saw a 15% decline in sales, while Xbox Series S and X sales tumbled 12%. Accessory sales totaled nearly 550,000, with Sony DualSense controllers dominating the charts, benefiting from strong PS5 sales and pricing activity at major retailers.