Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 arrived on PlayStation this week, and while they're basically just ports — with no notable quality-of-life or graphical improvements, the DLC sold separately again — the collection is topping the charts, even surpassing GTA 6. So understandably, Xbox players are feeling a bit left out, especially given that Microsoft owns Activision Blizzard.
Of course, Xbox players can already jump into Black Ops and Black Ops 2 thanks to the backwards compatibility program, and those versions are essentially the same. It's clear how Activision and Microsoft see things, as they made the customization packs free on the Xbox Store for parity with the PlayStation. But there's just one glaring problem – as reported by Windows Central, the Xbox servers are a minefield for hackers.
“As someone who has played Black Ops on both Xbox and PlayStation, I can confidently say that Xbox players are getting completely screwed out of the reunion that PlayStation players are having right now,” wrote X-user Deaks. “The PS4/PS5 ports find games almost instantly. I haven't encountered a single hacker and I've had a really great time playing. When I tried to play on Xbox it could take 15-20 minutes to find a match, and when I finally found one it was always modded. This isn't PlayStation vs. Xbox. The Xbox players are the same.”
“My primary concern is account security”
It's not just a matter of matchmaking wait times, ruined lobbies, or even people being demoted to negative levels (which happened to Reddit user iNEWj), but the security of your account. And you can find countless posts reflecting this frustration on social media, with a thread on r/Xbox quickly amassing over 1,000 upvotes: “My primary concern is account security when playing these games. On Xbox, your account is NOT secure when you play them. On PlayStation, it will be. That's the problem. There's no reasonable way to justify that difference.”
Warnings like these were issued by the community as far back as nine years ago when the backwards compatibility program was just taking shape. Posts like u/karter0's urged players to exit the game if they encountered a hacked lobby, as scammers allegedly promise “insane XP boosters and other temporary perks” only to disable your Activision account and demand money to restore access. “Just leave to be safe,” they said. “It's not worth losing your ability to play the game.”
Cheats have been rampant on Black Ops and Black Ops 2 for nearly a decade unchecked, so while PlayStation users are enjoying a revival of the game, it's unfortunate that Xbox players have been left in the lurch with only one option: the old cheat-filled 360 servers. As Windows Central executive editor Jez Corden said, the server infrastructure and source code are likely “on ice,” so updating the 360 versions and cleaning up the hacks is harder than most would assume, which is exactly why new ports are needed. But given that Activision and Microsoft clearly see the backwards compatible versions as one and the same, it's hard to imagine that happening anytime soon.
- Released
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November 9, 2010
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ due to blood and gore, intense violence, strong language
- Engine
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iw
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
