Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Becomes Japan’s Most Downloaded PS5 Game in JulyV

Despite its age and limited new content, Call of Duty Black Ops 2 becomes Japan’s biggest PlayStation download.

Console exclusives have typically been one of the biggest factors in deciding between game platforms, but recent PlayStation download data suggests things may be more complicated. Even while XBOX appears to be considering a return to a greater focus on console exclusivity, the most current statistics indicate that exclusive titles may not be the main reason consumers pick what console to buy.

For casual players, price and access to popular games may be more important issues. You can see this trend in the latest PlayStation Network download rankings from Japan, where a popular multiplatform franchise shockingly got the number one slot. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was Japan’s top PlayStation Network download in July.

The results are particularly interesting considering that Japan is not typically viewed as one of Call of Duty’s stronger markets compared to regions like North America. The game was re-released for PlayStation 5 lately; however, there wasn't a lot of new stuff included. Black Ops 2 still beat other titles on the platform and topped the charts in Japan.

It becomes much more interesting when the rest of Japan’s rankings are added to the mix. Palworld followed Call of Duty, and eBaseball Pro Spirits 2026 also made the top downloads. None of those games are the type of first-party exclusives that have historically sparked debates as to why consumers buy a certain platform.

Similar was the way of the United States and Canada. Black Ops 2 was also the top-selling game, followed by another Call of Duty title and EA Sports College Football 27. The results suggest that big multiplatform series continue to have a big impact on what people download and play.

Surprisingly, Call of Duty Black Ops 2 has been Japan’s most downloaded PS game.

This doesn't always mean exclusive games aren't relevant. This generation of PlayStation has also had fairly large gaps between major first-party releases, which would explain why its exclusives are not that often seen at the top of monthly download lists. The business is chasing exclusives, but console buyers still care about multiplatform blockbusters.

But the rankings still show the power of franchises that already exist. A system with unique software may be less important to a consumer than access to known games. Games like Call of Duty draw huge crowds that can follow them across platforms. The situation also raises questions about what the future of console gaming may look like.

If consumers keep buying consoles based on price, accessibility, and existing franchises, platform owners might have to rethink how much they spend on expensive exclusive projects. Modern AAA games can have huge production costs and years of development time.

At the same time, publishers are battling for players’ attention with a few phenomenally successful brands that may monopolize engagement for months, if not years. That means it’s getting harder and harder for new games to persuade consumers to abandon the games they’re playing.

If you have spent a lot of money on a popular multiplayer series, you are not going to have much motivation to learn another game. Especially when the price of new games gets higher. For the industry, this is a considerable challenge: designers need to develop games that can attract consumers while, at the same time, cut production costs enough to make such goods commercially viable.

It’s becoming increasingly tough to convince players to leave existing blockbusters.

The Japanese download charts show just how unpredictable consumer behavior can be. Watching Call of Duty: What makes Black Ops 2’s place at the top of the PlayStation Network’s Japanese rankings all the more impressive is that it’s not a new release in the traditional sense.

The blockbuster's showing proves that old properties still have the ability to generate huge demand when they are widely available on new technologies. It also shows that users don’t necessarily want exclusivity when choosing what games to play. This could be more and more a key problem as PlayStation and XBOX plot their future.

Exclusives will undoubtedly continue to be important in defining platform identity, but popular multiplatform games may be equally important in attracting and retaining users. Finally, the Black Ops 2 rankings aren’t evidence that platform exclusives are dead. Instead, they reveal that the games people choose to download might vary widely from the titles that dominate industry conversations.

A fascinating example of the power of established brands is the unanticipated success of Call of Duty in Japan. It might be one of the industry’s biggest challenges to convince players to try out a new game, as the cost of production rises and players become more loyal to a small number of popular games.