Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced debuted at No.2 on PC and No.4 on console in Newzoo's July revenue charts for the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, making the franchise's first remake one of the month's biggest commercial stories.

Newzoo market analyst Mert Şahin said the title's "performance demonstrates the commercial potential that can remain with established titles," adding that remakes "can combine familiarity with meaningful updates, appealing to existing fans while making older experiences more accessible to new audiences."

The result gives Ubisoft a data point for its back-catalogue strategy: Black Flag Resynced also landed at No.9 on Newzoo's Top 20 new games year-to-date by revenue, joined in that ranking by Halo: Campaign Evolved at No.20.

What drove July's revenue charts?

Remakes and rereleases dominated the month across both platforms. The clearest counterpoint to Ubisoft's full remake came from Activision, which shadow-dropped ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The two titles hit No.6 and No.1 respectively on the console revenue charts — Black Ops 2 unseating everything else on the platform.

Şahin framed the two approaches as complementary lessons for publishers managing older catalogues: "While Black Flag Resynced shows the potential of substantially updating an established game, July's Call of Duty results demonstrate that straightforward ports can also generate significant commercial momentum."

He continued: "Substantial remakes can reposition older games for modern audiences, while straightforward re-releases can generate renewed demand with comparatively limited changes."

For studios weighing back-catalogue investment, July suggests both routes work — a full visual and systemic overhaul and a near-straight port each generated top-tier revenue within the same month. The cost profiles, of course, differ sharply, and Newzoo's charts measure revenue, not margin.

How did Palworld's 1.0 launch perform?

Palworld left early access and entered the PC revenue chart at No.5, with Palworld 1.0 also debuting at No.19 on the year-to-date new games ranking. Newzoo noted that because Palworld is a single-purchase title with no microtransactions or paid DLC, most of that revenue came from new players rather than lapsed ones re-engaging with monetized content.

That detail matters for developers watching lifecycle transitions: a premium one-time-purchase game can still chart at launch without recurring monetization, provided the 1.0 moment pulls enough new buyers.

Did GTA 5 benefit from GTA 6 buzz?

On console monthly active users, Grand Theft Auto 5 climbed two places. Newzoo attributed the rise to increased interest in GTA 6 following the opening of pre-orders and the launch of The Kortz Centre Heist on GTA Online — a concrete example of how anticipation for an unreleased title can lift engagement for its predecessor.

Şahin summarized the month: "July's PC and console rankings show how publishers can create fresh momentum around established games and franchises. Timely in-game and real-world events lifted engagement, while remakes, re-releases, and lifecycle transitions generated new commercial opportunities across PC and console."

The July Top 20s at a glance

Fortnite held No.1 on PC despite Black Flag Resynced's strong debut, with League of Legends at No.3 and Valorant at No.4 rounding out the top five. Halo: Campaign Evolved reached No.10 on PC and No.8 on console. EA Sports College Football 27 took No.2 on console, ahead of Fortnite at No.3.

Top 10 PC by revenue:

1. Fortnite
2. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
3. League of Legends
4. Valorant
5. Palworld
6. Counter-Strike 2 & Go
7. Meccha Chameleon
8. Marvel Rivals
9. The Sims 4
10. Halo: Campaign Evolved

Top 10 console by revenue:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
2. EA Sports College Football 27
3. Fortnite
4. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
5. EA Sports FC 26
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops
7. NBA 2K26
8. Halo: Campaign Evolved
9. Roblox
10. Call of Duty HQ

Further down the console chart, GTA 5 sat at No.11, Splatoon Raiders at No.16, 007 First Light at No.18, Palworld at No.19 and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream at No.20. Cyberpunk 2077 held No.18 on PC, and Battlefield 6/REDSEC closed the PC list at No.20.

With remakes, shadow-dropped ports and 1.0 launches all charting in a single month, August's data will show whether any of these spikes hold — or whether momentum from re-releases proves as short-lived as their development cycles are cheap.