After the official launch window was revealed during the Opening Night Live at Gamescom, the joy of fans for the upcoming release of Horizon Forbidden West had immediately turned into annoyance and protest.
Not only because some of the announced collector’s editions did NOT include the physical disc inside, but also because Sony did not plan for a free upgrade from the PS4 version to the PS5 version of the game, unlike what had previously been announced. For those unfamiliar with this practice, we’ll explain it quickly: to make the transition between the two console generations less “traumatic”, Sony provides the option, for those who purchase a specific title on PS4, to obtain the PS5 version of the same title once they have acquired the new console.
For Horizon Forbidden West, this option had been guaranteed as free, but, precisely on the occasion of the announcement a few days ago, Sony seemed to have forgotten the promise, revealing that only those who would purchase the Special Edition (€89.99) of the game would receive both versions of Horizon included in the price.
The controversies that have emerged seem to have cracked open the decision-making apparatus of the Japanese company, which, via a post on its official blog published by Jim Ryan, CEO and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, has announced the shocking about-turn on the Horizon affair:
"Last year we committed to providing free updates for our cross-gen launch titles, which included Horizon: Forbidden West. Although the pandemic’s impact pushed Horizon: Forbidden West outside the originally planned launch window, we want to maintain our offer."
Players who purchase Horizon: Forbidden West on PS4 will be able to upgrade to PS5 for free."
But tread carefully with the celebrations, because this seems to be only an exception compared to the line Sony appears to have already drawn for the future:
"I wanted to also confirm today that, from now on, PlayStation first-party cross-gen exclusives (which will debut on both PS4 and PS5) — whether in physical or digital format — will offer the option to upgrade from PS4 to PS5 in digital format for $10.
This applies to God of War next-gen and Gran Turismo 7, and to any other cross-gen exclusive for PS4 and PS5 published by Sony Interactive Entertainment."
So, despite many players being unable to physically acquire a PlayStation 5 due to the limited availability on the market, Sony seems unwilling to make life easier for those still stuck on the previous generation, confirming the 10€ premium to upgrade a PS4 to a PS5. What do you think? Is this a fair decision in your view?
