One of the biggest topics of conversation on social media today has centred around Sony’s decision to not include a free upgrade for Horizon Forbidden West in its standard or special editions. Instead, players will be forced to drop a hefty sum to receive both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game.
It’s been explained thoroughly by our sister site Push Square, and the reactions to the upgrade path haven’t been great across the board. The response has seen a mixture of confusion and frustration, as not only did Sony suggest a free upgrade was on the cards last year, but Xbox is also continuing to show how upgrades to next-gen games should be done via Smart Delivery.
To put it simply, buying the £59.99 / $59.99 version of Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 won’t get you a free PS5 upgrade down the line, and neither will the £69.99 / $69.99 Special Edition. Instead, you’ll either need to buy the PS5 version separately (£69.99 / $69.99), or get the Digital Deluxe Bundle (£79.99 / $79.99) with access to both versions.
As mentioned, the response from the community hasn’t been good, with many influencers and media personalities calling out the choice and suggesting Sony rethinks their strategy to something similar such as Smart Delivery.
Journalist Gene Park of The Washington Post even referenced back to his interview with Phil Spencer before the Xbox Series X|S launch. During their conversation, the topic of Smart Delivery came up, something Spencer at the time mentioned was to “set [the] expectations customers should have for content”.
Despite us being an Xbox centric site, we’re also excited to jump into Sony’s next first-party game, but it does invite discussion as to how their communication and processes could be made clearer. Perhaps Sony will rethink the decision following the backlash, which we certainly hope they do, to make gaming easier and accessible for everyone.
How do you feel about the upgrade path for Horizon Forbidden West? Let us know in the comments below.
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