Sony has revealed that those who buy Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 won’t be able to upgrade to PS5. And that’s a shame for a number of reasons.
Update: Sony has announced that players who purchase Horizon Forbidden West on PlayStation 4 will now be able to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version for free. In a statement on the PlayStation Blog, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Jim Ryan said: „Thursday was to be a celebration of Horizon Forbidden West and the amazing team at Guerilla working to deliver it on February 18, 2022. However, it’s abundantly clear that the offerings we confirmed in our pre-order kickoff missed the mark.“ Ryan goes on to add: „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.“ In less positive news, Ryan also said: „I also want to confirm today that moving forward, Playstation first-party exclusive cross-gen titles (newly releasing on PS4 & PS5) – both digital and physical – will offer a $10 USD digital upgrade option from PS4 to PS5. This will apply to the next God of War and Gran Turismo 7, and any other exclusive cross-gen PS4 & PS5 title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.“ Original story: Horizon Forbidden West won’t include a free PS5 upgrade if you buy the game on PS4, a move that shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone at this point. And yet, that’s exactly the type of reaction I’ve seen taking the internet by storm since Sony made the announcement: a mix of frustration, surprise, and even disbelief. But why? I’ve been banging this drum for a while now, but the PS5 isn’t good value compared to Xbox Series X. That’s not to say it isn’t a fantastic console, with a revolutionary controller and some truly fantastic games. But it seems like Sony can’t help itself when it has an opportunity to wring the coffers of PlayStation consumers. We’ve seen from the outset that Sony’s generosity doesn’t span very far when it comes to PS5. Whether it’s the $70 / £70 price tag for first-party exclusives, PS Now not including any PS5 games, not being able to use your existing DualShock 4 controllers (unless its to play PS4 games), or locking PS5 features behind Director’s Cut re-releases, Sony’s strategy of capitalizing on the allure of PS5 titles has been clear for quite some time.
