Five Activision Games We Want To Become Xbox Backwards Compatible In 2024

Blur has real cars so they would have to work out a new deal with each manufacturer. No way they see that as a realistic option for a backwards compat title. It's simply not worth it. I wonder what the licensing would even look like for this concept of back compat since not even the new games are available for a full generation and get pulled from the stores when the deal runs out.

Same for Tony Hawk but with music and the athletes. I don't think you would be able to license these things for more than a couple years. Might as well do a remaster if a temporary back compat is the other option.

Emulate or hang on to the old tech.

We should really get a drop soon if it's not in January it would have to be early February any longer is a complete joke

Really surprised we never saw another Blur or something like, I still have it on PC and when you ramp up the settings it looks amazing. It would be great to get a few on BC but as others have said, licenses. Plus with the amount they spent, I don't see them giving much away cheaply anymore. I think there's going to be a lot of nigh on full price remasters like Resi 4 sadly.

@BacklogBrad obviously licensing is a big issue with all sorts of things in video games but those licenses would only need to be renewed if they planned on selling the game.

To make the game backwards compatible (for those who already own it) I'm pretty sure they would just need the IP holders permission. It would be a nice gesture from Xbox to start doing some of this without any financial returns from it.

Ideally they do start adding to the BC list with Activision games, get reminded how well BC games do, and restart the program fully to mitigate the losses from the 360 store closing this Summer.

Yeah as much as I'd like to see the Tony Hawk games get the BC and GP treatment, it just isn't happening. The game being BC means bringing it to the Xbox Store, which means the licence holders will need a new deal (double so if it's a GP release too).

Music licencing is always a pain and you really can't simply gut the soundtrack to a Tony Hawks game and not be "kicked to death" but the fans.

I would add Singularity to the list. Amazing game.

@BacklogBrad Backwards compatible doesn't mean they're selling it again. They'd only have to deal with licensing if they started selling it again.

@abe_hikura No it doesn't there are plenty of backwards compatible games that aren't for sale on the store or were delisted. There are even entries for BC games on the One/Series store that are simply listed as no longer available.

@InterceptorAlpha what would be the point of doing it without selling the game or being able to put it on gamepass? Are they really going to reassemble the back compat team and pull them off of whatever profit driven projects they are on just to make a couple 360 discs work?

I doubt they do any of these abk games to be honest. It's time to move on from the back compat additions like xbox already has.

@SacredPYRO There are a few issues with only doing it for people that already own the games.

1) According to Wikipedia, Blur sold 500k copies across PC, 360 and PS3. So how many people are we actually talking about?

2) The physical disc of Blur is currently available on Lukie Games for over $40 US. Like the other back compat games, that price will rise substantially if it is announced that it will be added to the BC list. Are people that interested in playing where they will need to need pay full price or more?

3) If you are still sitting on a physical disc that only works on the 360, you probably still have a 360 to play it. These players with physical copies are not really gaining much aside from the convenience of not plugging in and wearing out their old system. (I am in this group)

4) physical disc copies would not work on Series S so unless they bought a digital version back when that was not a popular option, roughly half of the current gen users would not benefit from this even if they did look to overpay for a disc on resale.

I don't see Xbox seeing this as a worthwhile option even if they were able to sell it. I don't really think they would even consider it as a non-purchasable game.

Good list. I'd like to go even further back. Would love a new Pitfall or RiverRaid game. Shouldn't have any problem with licensing those I'd have thought.
Can't recall (at work atm) but I'm sure I bought Spyro trilogy enhanced for series s/X from xbox store a couple years ago. Runs worse than on PS4, really choppy camera movement.

I was really wanting The chronicles of riddick escape from butcher bay but Microsoft said it isnt possible due to licensing that is a massive shame loved that game so much

I just want all the 360 era activision games to be Xbox one x enhanced.

I’d like them to make all backwards compatible games available in all regions first. I’d love to DL Ridge Racer 6 but for some crazy reason you can’t buy it in the UK. All games should be available in all regions.

Crash Twinsanity, GUN and The Simpsons: Hit & Run but I can't imagine that one happening.

Wow, all that money for a few more shooter franchises? Really?!

The two I'd love see, if the licenses can be sorted out, are Transformers: War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron. The former might be a bit more difficult because there was no remaster but FoC did get a Xbox One release, at the very least it'd be cool to see that version of it back up for purchase.

No sekiro? Alright

Transformers would be cool

@Kaloudz Yeah same, Magruder was an awesome villain.

Blur was an awesome racing game, I still don't understand how it wasn't successful when something like Split Second was, which I feel wasn't as good.

Blur was like a Burnout and Mario Kart love child, it should've been an instant success.

I'm still angry at Activision for cancelling the sequel, but even more for shutting down Bizarre Creations. When early footage of the sequel was revealed I was further upset.

Wolfenstein 2009 is my favorite in the series. I loved the hub world and it's secrets, though I could have used more of them. While I loved Machine Games' take on Wolfenstein, I miss the occult setting and hope the next game in the series goes back to it. Who knows when that will happen though since Machine Games' are now working on Indiana Jones.

Just like Blur, I'm upset that Activision took a great studio like Raven Software, who followed up Wolfenstein 2009 with the great game Singularity, and turned them into a Call of Duty support team. To me, it's one of the biggest examples of wasted talent in the industry for decades.

Raven made some great games. In addition to Wolfenstein 2009 and Singularity, some other favorites where X-Men Legends 1 & 2, and the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I don't like Star Wars, but I believe the 2 Jedi Knight games they developed were good and well recieved.

I own both Blur and Wolfenstein 2009 physically on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC DVD. It's a shame they can't be played on modern consoles or PC anymore. I recently 'found' a way to play them on my Steam Deck at least.

I'd love to see them come back for sale digitally, same goes for Singularity.

@Gamer83

I forgot about those, I'd love to see them as well.

@jikflet

I was going to add that. I bought it on Steam to play on my Steam Deck, but the controls are less than ideal in a controller setup. Tweaking them via the Steam Deck doesn't help much.

I loved the game back on my Xbox 360, and I'll forever be angry at Activision for turning Raven Software into a Call of Duty support team and not let them work on their own games again. Such a collosal waste of talent in my opinion.

@Kang81 Same. High Moon Studios did the good Transformers games and Deadpool, relegated to CoD support. The people who did the amazing Tony Hawk, Spyro, & Crash Remaster Collections? Relegated to CoD support. It's just bad.

@Scirius This list is for OG Xbox and Xbox 360 games that are missing from the backwards compatibility program.

Sekiro is an Xbox One game, and thus already very much playable on modern Xbox consoles.

@BacklogBrad yeah, that's what I was talking about. I know there would be no financial gains for Xbox by making games they can't sell backwards compatible but it would be cool if they did. After all Big P is always talking about how game preservation is at the forefront of everything they do.

I would like to see Warcraft 3 as BC

I still play Geometry Wars 2 from time to time, it's super addictive, but would love this to appear on GamePass. It would hopefully gain some new gamers who've never played and rejuvenate the leaderboards.

Dear God please PLEASE give me American Wasteland on my Series X. PLEASE!!

Blur is good choice, but I hope if they get rights worked out with hasbro I want the High Moon Transformers games War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron to be added, a remaster or backwards compatibility I'll take either

@Kaloudz I bought Gun in a 360 launch bundle and soon exchanged it. After all these years, I've never played it. Maybe I should have given it a chance.

Agree 1000% on Blur. Would buy immediately.

How about Goldeneye Reloaded!? Amazing game. QOS and Bloodstone as well.

@shoeses @Kang81
Yeah, eventhough I don't like seeing major publishers get bought out by one of the console makers, I can't say I'll be that disappointed if MS takes some of the studios that were put on Call of Duty support, and has them develop their own games again. A new Tony Hawk game would be awesome. And while it's a long shot, I don't think a new Transformers would be totally out of the question. If nothing else, though, just have High Moon do something that isn't Call of Duty, the studio is too good to be relegated to just that.

Even if they make a Crash 5 or even a new Starcraft exclusive, that would be nice

@jikflet Singularity. My man!

Tony Hawk Remaster and i never played the 2009 Wolfenstein game. Would love to try those.

I'm going to say the Transformers War for Cybertron & Fall of Cybertron duology, but only for those who never got to experience them.
I'll also request the 007 games & TMNT Mutants in Manhatten - especially if Platinum were able to remaster & refine it a little more.

@Gamer83 The thing is, even if they couldn't work out a way to sell all those licensed games again (let alone also do stuff like bring back the servers) just making them backwards would be a big W not having them trapped on 360 only.

@shoeses

I didn't know the same happened to High Moon. Originally I thought they were a Destiny support studio and then just closed.

Regardless, I hate seeing any good studio relegated to a support team for Call of Duty. It's always a waste of great talent in my eyes.

I really liked the Transformers games from High Moon. I would love to see what they could have done with today's tech and the further expansion and popularity of the movies.

I could see them make it an open world game, or at least far bigger open areas/levels that could be explored and backtracked. I don't know which is prefer, because as much as I love open world games, they have become overdone and aren't necessarily a good fit for everything.

One game I forgot about I'd love to see return with a remake/remaster or even better a new game would be High Noon's Darkwatch. It was such a great setting and concept.

@Gamer83

I would love to see that happen, but at this point, I doubt any of the teams that worked on those games would be around. They've probably been scattered everywhere, or even left Activision.

I know a job is a job, usually, but if I had to work on the same game over and over after being able to do different things all the time and be more creative then I wouldn't stick around.

This article had me at BLUR! I own several copies AND play every once in a while. There's no other racing game like to date. Even has a solid 4-player split-screen too.

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