Black Ops 1 and 2 Developer Criticizes Activision Over Port Profits

A former Call of Duty developer has criticized Activision over the commercial success of Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 on PS4 and PS5, arguing that the original creators are not receiving a share of the revenue generated by the recent ports.

Gavin Goslin, a former Treyarch level designer who worked on both games, expressed frustration on LinkedIn after seeing the classic shooters return to the sales charts more than a decade after their original releases.

Goslin described the situation as bittersweet, explaining that he and his colleagues spent countless hours working under demanding development conditions to create the original games.

While pleased that players continue to enjoy their work, he argued that the developers responsible for those games deserve financial recognition when older releases generate substantial new revenue.

The criticism follows the July 2026 PlayStation releases of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2, which reportedly sold a combined 11.2 million copies during their first month.

That figure comes from third-party market estimates rather than officially disclosed Activision sales data.

The releases are straightforward ports rather than full remakes, bringing the original games to newer PlayStation consoles without major graphical improvements or additional content.

Meanwhile, Activision chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl acknowledged the unexpected success in an interview with The Game Business.

Bahl explained that the company had expected strong demand but was surprised by how well both games performed. Activision is now applying lessons from their popularity to Modern Warfare 4 and future Call of Duty releases.

Goslin's comments highlight an ongoing debate over whether developers should receive additional compensation when older games continue generating revenue years after their original release.