[Updated] Horizon Forbidden West will not have a separate PS4-PS5 upgrade option
/
[UPDATE 1]: Sony has released an update on the lack of upgrade options for Horizon Forbidden West:
“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.”
— Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment
[ORIGINAL POST] Pre-orders for Horizon Forbidden West went live today and details of each edition of the game was revealed. It also confirmed that PlayStation will not offer a separate PS5 upgrade if you choose to buy the PS4 version first. The only option at the moment is purchasing the Digital Deluxe edition, collector’s edition, or the regalla edition, a more expensive package compared to the standard and special editions.
Here’s the rundown of each edition from the PlayStation Blog.
Horizon: Forbidden West Cross-gen Digital Deluxe Edition
Horizon Forbidden West (Digital) PS4 and PS5 versions
2 Special Outfits (Carja Behemoth Elite and Nora Thunder Elite)
2 Special Weapons (Carja Behemoth Short Bow and Nora Thunder Sling)
In-game Resources Pack including ammunition, potions, and travel packs
In-game Apex Clawstrider Machine Strike Piece (more on Strike in the FAQ)
Exclusive Photo Mode pose and face paint
Digital Art Book
Digital Soundtrack
Digital Version of The Sunhawk, the first Horizon Zero Dawn graphic novel
Horizon: Forbidden West Collector’s Edition
Horizon Forbidden West (Digital) PS4 and PS5 versions
Horizon Forbidden West SteelBook Display Case
Download code for the game will be supplied via voucher in the box.
A custom sculpted Tremortusk and Aloy statue
Statues will require some assembly; detailed instructions will be provided with the box!
Mini Art Book
2 Special Outfits (Carja Behemoth Elite and Nora Thunder Elite)
2 Special Weapons (Carja Behemoth Short Bow and Nora Thunder Sling)
In-game Resources Pack including ammunition, potions, and travel packs
In-game Apex Clawstrider Machine Strike Piece
Exclusive Photo Mode pose and face paint
Digital Soundtrack
Digital Version of The Sunhawk, the first Horizon Zero Dawn graphic novel
Horizon: Forbidden West Regalla Edition
Horizon Forbidden West (Digital) PS4 and PS5 versions
Horizon Forbidden West SteelBook Display Case
Download code for the game will be supplied via voucher in the box.
A Regalla-themed, custom sculpted Tremortusk and Aloy statue
Statues will require some assembly; detailed instructions will be provided with the box!
Replica Focus and custom stand
2 Art Print Cards
Replica Sunwing and Clawstrider Machine Physical Strike Pieces
Mini Art Book
Canvas Map
2 Special Outfits (Carja Behemoth Elite and Nora Thunder Elite)
2 Special Weapons (Carja Behemoth Short Bow and Nora Thunder Sling)
In-game Resources Pack including ammunition, potions, and travel packs
In-game Apex Clawstrider Machine Strike Piece
Exclusive Photo Mode poses and face paints
Digital Soundtrack
Digital Version of The Sunhawk, the first Horizon Zero Dawn graphic novel
Horizon Forbidden West Special Edition
SteelBook with a physical disc copy for either PS4 or PS5
Digital soundtrack (via voucher)
Mini art book
Standard physical copies of either the PS4 or PS5 version of Horizon: Forbidden West will just come with a copy of the game.
No separate upgrade path offered
What’s frustrating is that those only with a PS4 system at the moment are forced to purchase a more expensive package if they want both versions available for the future. There is no separate upgrade option with a fixed price, so people who go for the standard or special edition of the game are left with no friendly options once they get the opportunity to transition to the current generation.
Sure, you can play your PS4 copy on the PS5, but you won’t be playing the native PS5 version with all the bells and whistles.
The transition to the next generation isn’t a smooth one with the current state of the world, thus the upgrade offers (even the free ones) from publishers and developers are greatly welcomed by gamers as they don’t feel limited when going for the previous generation.
This choice doesn’t feel friendly to consumers, especially since we have not seen the difference between the PS4 and PS5 versions of Horizon: Forbidden West as all details and footage so far are from the PS5 version.
With how they've handled the release of Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut and the upcoming Death Stranding: Director’s Cut this month, this move was a bit unexpected and makes me worried if this will translate to other first-party titles that are not PS5 exclusive.
Horizon: Forbidden West is set to release on February 18, 2022 on the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.
