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505 Games Discuss Blockers Between Them And Next-Gen Updates For Control

Control is getting a second expansion, AWE. We know this, and we’re all very excited about it. The thing is, if you purchase that expansion for the current version of Control, you’re restricted to playing it on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, with no option for a free next-gen upgrade. While Control is coming to next-gen consoles, it’s only in the form of Control Ultimate Edition. That might seem a little odd, and it is to be honest, but 505 Games has explained why they’ve made this decision.

The game’s publisher claim that there are certain blockers in place that prevent them from being able to offer free next-gen upgrades for Control, hence why they’re launching Control Ultimate Edition. Essentially, they were looking at every option they had, and in the end it seemed too much to upgrade all the current players to next-gen consoles with full parity. If that confuses you, let me put it plainly. At every avenue, someone missed out. When the publisher found a way to upgrade every PlayStaiton 4 player, the Xbox One S players missed out, and vice versa with many different combinations.

505 Games is extremely aware that no one wants to hear this. In fact, I’d say that they’ve gone above and beyond to try to make this work, but at the end of the day they simply can’t. Whilst Control will see some upgrades on next-gen platforms, it’s the Ultimate Edition that will be truly next-gen.

Microsoft’s Smart Delivery system is set up so that all first-party games, and some third-party games, all get a free next-gen upgrade. After initially saying they wouldn’t do it, Sony did a 180 and is now saying that publishers who want to offer free next-gen upgrades can do so after talking to them. I think that the real issue lies in the money though.

If you think about it, anyone who gets a feee next-gen version of a game is getting a free game. That means that the developer and publisher miss out. In Microsoft’s case, I think they’re taking the hit for their first-party studios, since they own them, and the only third-party studios opting for Smart Delivery are the ones that can afford it. With Sony, I don’t think that there’s any sort of compensation for a developer who wants to offer free next-gen upgrades. This is the sad reality of game development, and in part it’s all down to the manufacturers wanting to make money. The thing is, if there are no games for these next-gen consoles, no one will want them.

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