Users who purchase any edition of Horizon Forbidden West for PlayStation 4 will receive a free upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version, Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan said in an update to this week’s pre-order launch.
Earlier this week, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that users who purchase the standard or Special editions of Horizon Forbidden West for PlayStation 4 will not receive a free upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version, and that there were no plans to offer an upgrade path.
Back when Sony Interactive Entertainment first confirmed Horizon Forbidden West is coming to PlayStation 4 alongside PlayStation 5, it implied that it would be a launch window title with a free upgrade from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5.
Here is the full message from Ryan on the reversal:
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 PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5)–both digital and physical*–will offer a $10 USD digital upgrade option from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5. This will apply to the next God of War and Gran Turismo 7, and any other exclusive cross-gen PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
—Jim Ryan, President and CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment
*To upgrade an eligible PlayStation 4 game on disc to the digital PlayStation 5 version, you will need a PlayStation 5 console with a disc drive. PlayStation 4 game discs can’t be used with the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.
Horizon Forbidden West is due out for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on February 18, 2022.