You might want to check the fine print on Control’s “free next-gen upgrade” offer.
Developer Remedy Entertainment and publisher 505 Games have today announced Control Ultimate Edition. As you might expect, it includes the base game and both of its DLC, The Foundation and the yet-to-be-released, Alan Wake-themed AWE. It also brings the game, previously an Epic exclusive on PC, to the Steam store for the first time.
So far, so standard. But we’re just around the corner from the next generation of consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. That means publishers are falling over themselves to offer free next-gen upgrades to players who buy games like Marvel’s Avengers or Cyberpunk 2077, to try and prevent fans holding off on purchases at the tail-end of the current generation.
It’s unsurprising, then, that Remedy is offering a “free next-gen upgrade” on the Control Ultimate Edition. But what about players who have already bought Control? Ah. Well. This is awkward. We’ll defer to the official post on the Control website to answer that:
Will Control Ultimate Edition give me access to Control on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5?
We will offer a free next-gen digital upgrade for those who buy Control Ultimate Edition on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For more information on eligibility, stay tuned to our website and community channels.
What if I purchased the original version of Control previously?
The free upgrade path to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 version of Control is only available for Control Ultimate Edition.
The “free upgrade” is only for players who buy the Control Ultimate Edition on PS4 or Xbox One. Anyone who already owns the base version of the game won’t receive the upgrade.
So in a sense, this is less of a “free next-gen upgrade” on Control – which should include players that already own the game – and more of a next-gen pre-order. Pre-order a copy of Control Ultimate Edition for PS5 or Xbox Series X and you’ll receive a free version to play on current-gen consoles right now.
Still not a terrible deal, obviously, but it’s a bit of a sore point for players who already bought and supported the game.
