Due to reaction after initially stating that the move between systems would require money, Sony is now giving free PlayStation 5 upgrades to customers who bought Horizon Forbidden West on PlayStation 4. Horizon Forbidden West pre-orders have just gone live, with a variety of special versions available, each with its own set of in-game goods and prizes.
It didn’t take long for fans of Horizon Forbidden West to detect anything odd about the existing copies. According to Sony, Horizon Forbidden West will be a cross-generation title that will be released on both PS4 and PS5 in 2020.
The available special editions demonstrated that PS4 owners would not receive a free upgrade and that the lowest cross-gen option would cost about $80 USD. Sony has previously given free PS5 upgrades for titles like Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which is why the lack of such an option for Horizon Forbidden West enraged so many fans. Many rival companies, such as Square Enix with Marvel’s Avengers, provide free cross-gen upgrades on PS5.
Fans soon voiced their unhappiness with the Horizon Forbidden West update scenario, prompting Sony to reverse course on their initial plan. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, customers who purchase Horizon Forbidden West will now receive a free PS5 upgrade. This comes with the usual restriction that an update for the physical PS4 edition of Horizon Forbidden West requires a PS5 with a disc drive.
But it’s not all good news. Sony also revealed that future SIE games, such as Gran Turismo 7 and the forthcoming God of War sequel, will need a $10 charge to move from PS4 to PS5 in the same statement. In contrast, Microsoft has guaranteed Smart Delivery (a system that allows for free cross-gen updates) for all of its first-party Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S titles.
It’s disheartening to hear about future expensive upgrades for PS4 titles, especially when it appears that the PS5 console scarcity isn’t going away anytime soon, and some users are still waiting for one. With Horizon Forbidden West, Sony is at least making apologies, although the scenario is significantly different from the free updates given by other competitors. The PS4 has a large player base, and Sony should make the transition to PS5 as enticing as possible without erecting such barriers.
