Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 joins August bestsellers following Xbox One debut

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (Image credit: Activision)

Last month Activision debuted Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox One backward compatibility, bringing the near decade-old Xbox 360 title to the system. As seen with many backward compatible titles, Modern Warfare 2 sales have grown considerably – this time making August's top-selling video games in the U.S.

Details on its success come from Mat Piscatella of data-tracking firm, the NPD Group, reporting on U.S. sales for August 2018. From August 5 to September 1, Modern Warfare 2 placed No. 8 among games from all platforms, beating out some of this year's biggest titles. It's Xbox One backward compatibility debut clearly triggered this growth, rising from a No. 321 placement just one month prior.

https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1042176675591536640

Backward compatibility signals continued success for Microsoft, especially with highly-anticipated classics from previous generations. Considering Modern Warfare 2 hit Xbox One on August 28, this success was seen in just a few days before the month concluded. Furthermore, due to the nature of NPD tracking, this doesn't account for countless used copies in circulation, only official sales. Crazy.

While some platform holders appear averse to backward compatibility, its become a system-seller for Xbox One consoles. With hundreds of supported games and more to come, it's impressive to see old titles revived after their initial success.

Have you picked up Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox One? Which games do you hope to see next? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below. In the meantime, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available for $21.69 on Amazon.

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Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.