Sony will allow PlayStation 5 games to be offered to owners of their PlayStation 4 version for free, if third-party publishers and developers are willing to opt in. After Sony finally revealed what their upcoming console will look like, along with some of the games coming early within its life cycle, details about its features and quirks are slowly being unearthed. So far, it's known that its extremely large size is mostly for cooling purposes, it will have cool special editions, and it comes with free game already downloaded. Other important questions are still left unanswered, such as the actual release date and price, although Sony claims that neither of these will be affected by the pandemic.
Another feature that has yet to be completely explained is the PlayStation 5's backwards compatibility with past Sony consoles, something that has been missing or limited among the last two iterations. Sony originally stated that only the most popular PlayStation 4 games would be compatible, but later clarified this would extend to a majority of the PlayStation 4's library, similar to how backwards compatibility works between the Xbox One and Xbox 360. Further questions were raised after the reveal of the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, which lacks a disc drive. Now, a spokesperson for Sony has shed light on how games can make the jump between generations.
Related: Will PS4 Games Be Playable On PS5?
In an interview with Japanese website GameSpark, and briefly translated by Reddit user 8bitsleuth, a spokesperson for Sony Interactive Entertainment Asia discussed if something like Smart Delivery on Xbox Series X, which allows select purchases to carry over to the new console, would also help bridge the gap between PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The spokesperson said Sony would support publishers offering free PlayStation 5 versions to owners of PlayStation 4 games, although the decision would be at the individual publisher's discretion.
Sony will support publishers who want to offer PS5 versions of PS4 titles at no additional cost from Games
The interview mentions Madden NFL 21, which sparked controversy last month after EA revealed they were offering their own, watered-down version of Smart Delivery for the annual football franchise. Sony didn't elaborate if they would do the same for first party titles, although The Last of Us: Part II's PS4 version will be compatible with the PS5.
The transition between console generations usually leads to some awkwardly-timed releases, as gamers hesitate to buy PlayStation 4 or Xbox One games when they might have to purchase it a second time just to run on their new console. Big upcoming releases like Assassin's Creed: Valhalla have already announced their cross-generation status which should hopefully set the tone for publishers to not get overly greedy and alienate fans. Smart Delivery has been well-received by Xbox fans, and now it seems Sony will follow suit for the PlayStation 5.
Source: GameSpark, 8bitsleuth