If you haven’t seen it yet, an inspiring fan project recently launched as XboxGamePreservation.com to track what players actually want from Xbox’s backward compatibility program. Now that the first batch of data comes via LinkedIn, some interesting patterns are starting to emerge.
Surprisingly, the results suggest fans may want more original Xbox titles than the golden child Xbox 360.
Now, while this is a fan project and nothing official, and the data likely is not representative of the entire Xbox player base, it still offers an interesting glimpse into what fans say they want from Xbox’s backward compatibility efforts, if it ever returns.
At the time of writing, the site has seen just over 3,300 visitors. So, which games are people actually voting for? Let’s break it down.
What the data actually shows
Of those surveyed, 335 people have cast votes across more than 2,500 selections, working out to an average of roughly 7.4 votes per person. So far, the split between generations is almost even. Around 52% of votes are for original Xbox titles, while 48% are for Xbox 360 games, which is interesting given that most backward compatibility discussions usually focus on the Xbox 360 era.
As you can see in the second slide, The Simpsons: Hit & Run currently sits as the most requested original Xbox game, followed closely by two Silent Hill titles.
Personally, as a die-hard Sonic fan, it is nice to see Sonic Heroes appearing on the same list. And seeing Spider-Man 2 sitting at number five is also great, especially since many fans still consider it the best Spider-Man game ever made.
Over on the third slide for the Xbox 360 side of things, the list is heavily dominated by Spider-Man titles, and I'm sure that's with thanks to the $69 billion acquisition of Activision.
Personally, though, I would love to see something like Tenchu Z make its way to backward compatibility, or even Bulletstorm, despite that game not doing so well at the time it released. In fact, if it were up to me, everything would be backward compatible. Sadly, that is probably impossible, but a man can dream.
I also highly recommend you check the website yourself and cast your votes!
🗨️ I'm curious what games would you like to see return under Xbox's Backward Compatibility?
Which classic Xbox games or Xbox 360 games would you most want to see added to backward compatibility?
Let me know in the comments, and make sure to take part in our poll below:
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