Xbox has reportedly told developers that they cannot charge players for game upgrades from current-gen Xbox One to the Series X instead of opting for their Smart Delivery scheme.
As from VGC’s sources, companies are encouraged to make the next-gen upgrade free for consumers, either through their Microsoft’s Smart Delivery feature, or by the company’s own schemes such as EA’s Dual Entitlement system which FIFA 21 and NFL 21 will adopt.
So far all games offering a next-gen upgrade are doing so free-of-charge. This includes Cyberpunk 2077, FIFA 21, Destiny 2 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
NBA 2K21 is an exception, kind of. The base $60 version of the game won’t land you the ambitious next-gen version. For a free PS5/Series X copy, you’ll have to purchase the $100 Mamba Forever edition, which’ll fetch you the $70 next-gen standard edition. Also, as a reminder, the PC version of NBA 2K21 will be the current-gen version, atleast as of now. They might re-release it on PC by the time the new consoles hit the shelves. Can’t miss good money now, I guess.
Xbox is holding its Games Showcase event this June 23, where it’ll be showing new upcoming titles on the next-gen console, and hopefully some actual gameplay this time.
Moving onto next-gen, we’re also seeing a 10$ hike in game prices to $70. Luckily, Sony also seems to be working on a free upgrade solution to transition its humongous 109M playerbase onto the PS5.