Horizon Forbidden West Offers Free Upgrade for PS5 After Backlash
Sony offers free PS5 upgrade to players who purchase PS4 copies of Horizon Forbidden West following backlash.
 |
| Horizon Forbidden West Offers Free Upgrade for PS5 After Backlash |
Earlier last week, details regarding every available editions and pre-order bonuses for upcoming action role-playing game Horizon Forbidden West was confirmed by developer Guerrilla Games and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment.
However, an upgrade from PlayStation 4 version to PlayStation 5 was mysteriously missing and it lead to a fan-backlash. Shortly afterwards, Sony has officially backtracked on upgrade option choices for Standard Edition of Horizon II on PS4.
Sony previously had new-gen upgrades available for players who would purchase Digital Deluxe or more expensive editions of Forbidden West and anyone buying a standard PS4 copy won't be eligible to get a free upgrade for PS5 console.
When pre-order went live, an immediate blowback followed as fans realize that an upgrade to PS5 console requires them to spend an extra $10, which lead to Sony making a surprise U-turn on their early pre-order offerings of Horizon II.
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan recently released a statement on official blog that says players who purchase PS4 copies of Forbidden West would receive a free upgrade to PS5 console version for Standard or Special Edition.
He also added that all upcoming PlayStation first-party exclusive cross-gen titles will include a $10 upgrade path in future, which will also be applicable to next God of War and Gran Turismo 7 or any other exclusives on PS4 and PS5 by Sony.
Not being able to live up to expectation, Jim Ryan promises offering free PS5 update to players of Forbidden West.
Last year we made a commitment to deliver free upgrades for our cross-gen launch titles, which included Horizon Forbidden West. While the pandemic's profound impact pushed Forbidden West out of the launch window we initially envisioned, we will stand by our offer: Players who purchase Horizon Forbidden West on PlayStation 4 will be able to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version for free.
Sony previously offered free PS5 upgrades for cross-gen exclusives like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Therefore, not having a similar option for HFW has lead to a major outrage within community.
It seems like this was planned from very beginning as some sort of publicity stunt to see overall audience reaction and eventually normalize charging extra for PS5 versions in future whereas Microsoft uses Smart Delivery for free upgrade.
Sony is probably going this path to prevent people from buying pre-owned PS4 games and get a free PS5 patch, which is a stark contrast to how they used to aggressively promote importance of pre-owned games and game sharing in past.
Horizon Forbidden West is currently set to release on PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles on February 18, 2022. Players who purchase a PS4 version of any cross-gen Sony titles digitally will require a PS5 console with a disc drive to get an upgrade.
