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Electronic Art’s COO, Blake Jorgensen, has confirmed in a recent earnings call that the publisher’s upcoming games can be upgraded to next-gen consoles for free.
- Read More: Sony PlayStation 5: release date, launch games, controller and everything you need to know
With the Xbox Series X and PS5 launching later in the year – at a presumably higher cost than its predecessors, and less units being available at launch – EA will be releasing its upcoming games with cross-gen capabilities that will allow players to purchase a game on current-gen consoles and play it while they wait to get their hands on a next-gen console. Once they’ve got their new consoles sorted, they will be able to port the game over from their existing machines to the new one for free.
Jorgensen said during the call with shareholders and press, “This year, the phasing includes the effect of revenue recognition from the games we are launching for the current generation of consoles that can also be upgraded free for the next generation.”
EA and Jorgensen have not commented further on the remark, so it is currently unclear if this will be executed via the Series X and PS5’s backwards compatibility features, or through a proprietary EA tool.
Microsoft has announced that the upcoming Xbox Series X will come equipped with Smart Delivery, which will allow gamers to port over their games from current- to next-gen consoles without any fuss, or having to purchase the game again. Sony, on the other hand, has only revealed a backwards compatibility feature for the PS5, thus far. Developers have tested this feature and claim most of the 100 most-played PS4 games are compatible. These titles will be available at launch, says Sony.
In other EA news, the studio has announced that its annual EA Play Live showcase will return this year as a digital event, in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and will be broadcasting “world premieres” during its event. EA Play Live will be held on Thursday, June 11.
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