Following last week’s backlash, Sony Interactive Entertainment abruptly announced over the weekend that Horizon Forbidden West‘s PlayStation 5 upgrade will be free for those own a copy on the PlayStation 4. However, the company also made it crystal clear that all future first-party titles will cost $10 to upgrade.
SIE President and Chief Executive Officer, Jim Ryan, took to PlayStation Blog to clarify that Sony’s previous free upgrade offer only applied to launch titles, and although Horizon Forbidden West moved out of the launch window, Sony understands players’ frustration and wants to make good on its promise.
Ryan’s letter reads:
Thursday was to be a celebration of Horizon Forbidden West and the amazing team at Guerrilla 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.
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.
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.
In other words, the PS5 is approaching its one-year anniversary and the window for freebies has elapsed. It’s unlikely that Sony will budge in light of complaints in the future, so you’ll need to purchase the version that matches the console you own. Ryan also reiterated that PS4 game discs can’t be used with PS5 digital edition, so if you want to avail the free upgrade, make sure to purchase a disc-based PS5.
[Source: PS Blog]
