Sony changes course on Horizon Forbidden West upgrades—and clarifies future plans

Last week, we reported on the fact that some versions of Horizon Forbidden West seemed to offer no upgrade path to move from the PlayStation 4 version of the game to its proper PlayStation 5 counterpart. Now, Sony has adjusted those plans while simultaneously clarifying how future games will work.

“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,” reads a new update on the official PlayStation Blog from Sony Interactive Entertainment president & CEO Jim Ryan.

“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.”

So, the good news is that, now, no matter which version of the game you purchase on PS4, you’ll get the native PS5 version as well. It has to be pointed out that, given the last-gen version of the game will be $60 and the current-gen version $70, that may make the choice on which to buy easier for some of you out there.

However, the good news about Horizon Forbidden West did come with a bit of bad news as well. According to Ryan, moving forward, Sony first-party cross-gen exclusives will require a $10 digital upgrade purchase to move up to the native PS5 from the PS4 version. (Of course, the standard PS4 version will still play fine on a PS5.) This upgrade fee will come into play for the new God of War, Gran Turismo 7, and “any other exclusive cross-gen PS4 & PS5 title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.”

Source: Official PlayStation Blog