Sony backtracks on Horizon Forbidden West Pre-Order Upgrades

After receiving backlash, Sony is backtracking on its decision to punish PS4 owners of Horizon Forbidden West by charging them to upgrade to the PS5 version of the game. The decision was immediately called into question and compared to Xbox's smart delivery system.

Despite changing their course on this game, they made a strong statement about future titles that still leaves users angry.

For details on the best place to pre order Horizon Forbidden West, check out Stock Informer!

Horizon Forbidden West Pre-Order Controversy

Originally, if you pre-ordered or purchased Horizon Forbidden West on the PS4, you had to pay an additional $10 to access the PS5 version. This charge was seen as completely unnecessary by fans of the game.

Immediate comparisons to Xbox's smart delivery system were made. With smart delivery, it doesn't matter which version of a game you own, as long as you have the disc, or purchase the digital version, you own it across all Xbox platforms.

The only exception to this is the EA sports games which apply a $10 additional fee to access both versions but this is clear when purchasing the game. Sony has been anything but clear with its approach to Horizon Forbidden Dawn.

The $10 is now removed for Horizon Forbidden West. This does, however, continue a rough streak of confusion where there was also issues surrounding the various editions and upgrades available for the Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut.

You've Been Warned

In the statement backtracking the decision, Sony made a clear warning to its customers. Essentially saying while you may have won the battle, we'll win the war. Horizon Forbidden West on PS5 will be free to users who own the PS4 version of the game.

Moving forward, on all first-party titles, if you purchase the PS4 version, a standard $10 charge will apply to access the PS5 version. This is further proof that Sony didn't want to make this decision but the response was too overwhelming.

Their steadfast approach to future games shows their true colours which is all about further monetising the next-gen platform that many are still struggling to even purchase.