Microsoft did say it wants to do more console exclusives, but maybe that’s not what Xbox fans have in mind.
One of the best features on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S is a backward compatibility program. It offers hundreds of games Xbox 360 and OG Xbox consoles allow for some nostalgia, even on modern systems. Some of the games there are also not available on other platforms.
Some of the older ones Call of Duty the titles have never been ported to modern PlayStation systems, meaning the only way to access them on modern platforms is through a PC or modern Xbox.
To bridge the gap, Microsoft and Activision just ran some major ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2. PlayStation 5. And PlayStation fans love it. The games outperform GTA 6 on the PlayStation charts, which shows how much nostalgia there still is for some of these classic games. And Xbox fans are NOT happy – and it’s not because they’re guarding the gate.
Black Ops and Black Ops 2 ports are #1 and #2 trending games on PlayStation Store, even ahead of Grand Theft Auto VI pic.twitter.com/4VrOgWo8nNJuly 10, 2026
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard gave it full control of the Call of Duty franchise. The classic Call of Duty games were already widely available on the Xbox with compatibility for online matchmaking and the like. However, given the lack of security updates for Xbox 360 consoles, system hacks dominate, making some of them almost unplayable.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 are as simple as ports. Activision implemented practically nothing One res bump to increase them, and it honestly seems intentional. I imagine the reason they don’t is because it rubs more salt in the Xbox wound – it’s almost as if they’re designed to mimic the Xbox 360 backwards compatible versions as much as possible. Iron Galaxy also made (very solid) ports for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, so skill isn’t an issue here.
While they offer some visual improvements, the real problem is the prevalence of hackers on Xbox backwards compatible versions. Xbox 360 security layers have been stripped away over the years, allowing cheaters to ruin the experience. Since the PlayStation 5 ports of Black Ops 1 and 2 have been moved away from older systems, they are less vulnerable.
As a result, you have a de facto PlayStation console exclusive published by Xbox.
I’d usually highlight a major port of an Xbox 360 game, but as you can see from how difficult the game’s graphics are, these are well-loved titles. While players await the heavy hitting of September, it would be a nice bet to indulge in some innocent nostalgia. Clearly, the PlayStation charts agree.
It’s totally weird that Microsoft decided to leave Xbox fans here, and the reactions on social media have been what you’d expect. As a gesture, Microsoft has apparently decided to make the Black Ops DLC free on the Xbox Store, but the hacker-driven base game is still a frankly absurd $40.
As someone who has played Black Ops on both Xbox and PlayStation, I can safely say that Xbox players are completely left out of the reunion that PlayStation players are currently experiencing. PS4/PS5 ports find games almost instantly. I haven’t come across any hacker,… https://t.co/7EAP5kCDADJuly 12, 2026
I reached out to Microsoft and Activision to find out why they decided to leave the Xbox version of Black Ops 1+2 broken in light of this popular PS5 port. But I suspect they didn’t know it would do so well on the PlayStation. If they weren’t inclined, they probably wouldn’t shine such a bright light on the state of backwards compatible versions of Xbox either – although I’ve been getting messages about it for a long time.
I suspect Microsoft and Xbox won’t do much to fix the situation. They opened a can of worms here. The source code for the original games and their server infrastructure is probably on ice. Microsoft may ship new Call of Duty: Black Ops 1+2 ports that ditch previous versions. The downside is that users on the Xbox 360 (and yes, there are still tens of thousands of players on the Xbox 360) and backwards compatibility will be left stranded.
All of this just screams disorganization and thoughtlessness, but Things are pretty chaotic on Xbox right now …
Join us Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your thoughts and discuss our latest news, reviews and more.
