We were so close to cross-gen game upgrades being a simple and painless ordeal across the board, but now 505 Games has gone and announced that while Control is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X, people who already own the current version of the game will need to buy it again on next-gen.
The publisher announced a new $US40 ($56) “Ultimate” edition of the game today coming to PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. It’ll include both the current Foundation DLC and upcoming Alan Wake expansion, but is otherwise functionally identical to the version of Control people already purchased (because it was very good) back in 2019. Only the Ultimate edition is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X, and only people who buy that version of the game will be able to upgrade for free to the “next-gen optimised version” whenever it’s eventually available.
When asked for comment, developer Remedy Entertainment directed Kotaku to 505 Games, which did not immediately respond.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/08/doom-eternal-and-elder-scrolls-online-are-getting-next-gen-ports/” thumb=”https://www.gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/08/07/umppb1yh6q4nlq9kfzsb-300×169.png” title=”Doom Eternal And Elder Scrolls Online Are Getting Next-Gen Ports” excerpt=”Bethesda announced this morning that Doom Eternal and The Elder Scrolls Online are coming to Xbox Series X and PS5 sometime in the future.”]
I’ve heard some people call Smart Delivery, Microsoft’s PR term for the fact that cross-gen upgrades for first-party games will be free and automatic, a marketing gimmick. After all, PS4 games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla also allow for players to upgrade to the next-gen version for free. And based on the number of third-party publishers like Ubisoft and EA that appeared to be following suit (minus some small caveats around games like Madden NFL 21), it might already have become the unspoken industry standard, making Smart Delivery a redundant bullet point.
Control Ultimate Edition shows that’s not the case. It’s not a huge loss. After all, if both Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen backwards compatibility plans fall into place, people will still be able to play their existing versions of the game on their new hardware (and in the process raising questions about what exactly a “next-gen” version of Control even means). Still, it felt nice for that brief bit when every game seemed to be working off the same, generous vision of free and seamless cross-gen upgrades.
Comments
12 responses to “Existing Copies Of Control Won’t Be Upgradable To The Next-Gen Console Versions”
Not surprised given this is the same game with no difficulty options. I enjoyed the game but the lack of options is maddening.
Pure greed.
I already own everything that’s in the ultimate edition. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to but it again in the store. Of course I want it upgraded, for the Ray Tracing we already know it can do because of the PC version.
Hell, I’ll pay for an upgrade because it’s so good, but i don’t want a new version because of my save game.
Oof, not worth purchasing again, particularly for ??? next-gen features.
I can guess that Smart Delivery is just two separate versions with cloud save compatibility… which Microsoft, Sony and major developers are cost absorbing to guarantee software sales during console transitions.
So I guess a small or individual developer can’t match that without taking a financial lost in development costs… fair.
But I think instead a re-buying a full version of a game they already own is a rip-off, they need to meet the fans at a middle price point. Could of packaged it into an Upgrade Ray Trace Console DLC at a lower price point.
Man this is a kick in the teeth considering how poorly optimised Control was for the current batch of consoles. Also pretty poor knowing that effectively all you would be getting is a game with the graphics options that already exist in the PC turned up “sorry you purchased the medium graphics settings version of Control, now you have upgraded your PC you need to pay another $40 for the Ultra graphics settings version”
Yeah feeling pretty good about owning this on PC right now.
“smart delivery” wasn’t just a program, but after Microsoft announced, more people followed them. So stills props for that. I hadn’t heard anyone else considering doing that.
But it’s also nice to know for sure 100% of their 1st party titles will have a free upgrade. U haven’t heard if any PS4 games will get upgrades, hopefully they’re also free
It’s a real f- you to PS4 players as it still runs like crap on that system. Was kinda hoping to get to play it properly on PS5 but no way am I buying the full game and season pass again. Fool me once etc…
im sure more clarification is forthcoming on this.
if you own the base game and the new console version includes dlc, youd have to have your head up your arse to expect a free upgrade. but likewise, if you bought each piece of the puzzle individually, id expect the upgrade.
Personally I plan on keeping my PS4 for PS4 games and anything new for the PS5. Why do people want to ditch their PS4s and load up the new PS5 with old games?
Why would you keep old hardware when you have new hardware that can play the same game better and faster?