Highlights

  • Treyarch's Black Ops 3 makes a comeback, cracking Xbox's top 10 list.
  • Call of Duty fans flock to Black Ops 3 for a change in gameplay.
  • The upcoming 2024 release set in Gulf War era is unlikely to feature the advanced movement system from Black Ops 3.

In February, Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 cracked the top 10 best-seller list on Xbox, according to market research company Circana. 2015's Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 was one of the franchise's last games to feature the controversial "jetpack" movement system.

Fans have long wondered when or if Call of Duty's jetpack movement could return to the series. Activision has understandably been hesitant to see it come back, as it created a major rift in the community between those who preferred Call of Duty's classic mechanics and those who enjoyed the added dimension of movement created by jetpacks. The exclusion of the futuristic movement system was further supported by the massive success of 2019's Modern Warfare and subsequent titles, which focused on boots-on-the-ground gameplay. However, it seems that fans are flocking back to one of the more popular jetpack-focused Call of Duty entries.

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CharlieINTEL posted a screenshot of Circana's report on Xbox sales in February. Black Ops 3 sits in 10th place for the month's best-selling games, following its rank of 17th in January. This puts it just behind titans like Elden Ring and EA Sports FC 24. Black Ops 3 has become a fan-favorite among those looking for something other than Call of Duty's traditional approach, as the series has featured non-jetpack movement since 2017. While many fans still consider titles like Black Ops 2 and 1 to be stronger Treyarch games than Black Ops 3, users report that it's much more palatable than the older titles when transitioning from Call of Duty's most modern games.

Black Ops 3 Is Selling Surprisingly Well on Xbox

This marks an impressive result for the nine-year-old game, which features fluid, fast-paced movement and a popular Zombies mode. In addition to Black Ops 3's impressive Xbox sales, its user peak on Steam over the last 30 days sits at over 9,000 players, an uncommon number among games that old. In the meantime, Treyarch fans continue to eagerly await the studio's 2024 Call of Duty entry, which reportedly takes place in the early 1990s during the Gulf War. This setting would seem to confirm that Call of Duty 2024 features traditional movement.

However, jetpack fans can still hold out hope for Call of Duty 2025, which is reportedly a sequel to Black Ops 2 that takes place in 2030. This premise, which is still unconfirmed, would seem to allow for a reintroduction of jetpacks, a possibility that might tempt Activision given the enduring popularity of Black Ops 3. But this is only speculation at this point.