Why Fans Are In An Uproar Over Control's Next-Gen Upgrade
If you only examine the story and gameplay side of Control, you will find an experience many gamers adore. The title even ties into older Remedy Entertainment games like Alan Wake to create an expanded Remedy-verse — which is usually a surefire way to win over audiences. However, the business side of things has attracted ire, especially on the next-gen upgrade front. The publisher-player relationship seems to be growing worse with each announcement.
Anyone who hoped the next-gen upgrade of Control would be ready in time for the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 launches will have to wait a bit longer — or possibly a lot longer. The official Remedy Entertainment Twitter account recently announced Control: Ultimate Edition won't hit next-gen consoles until "early 2021," citing a need to polish up the port to ensure its quality. This news, compounded by the purportedly anti-consumer way the publisher, 505 Games, is doling out next-gen upgrades, left audiences hissing.
An update from the development team: Control Ultimate Edition will arrive on next generation platforms early 2021.
We want the final quality of the game to be awesome, and so we need a bit more time to work on it. Thank you for your understanding and patience!
— Remedy Entertainment (@remedygames) November 6, 2020
Not only do gamers have to wait longer to play Control on the Series X and PS5, but few appear willing to forgive Remedy and 505 Games for locking the upgrade behind the Ultimate Edition. Microsoft made its stance on next-gen upgrades very clear: give them away for free. If you own a game on Xbox One, you should own it on Series X. Many companies stand with Microsoft on this matter, including the normally controversial EA. But 505 Games is taking what many commenters see as a "scammy" approach. You will get the next-gen port for "free," but only if you pay $40 for a different edition of the game. Even if you already own the base game and its DLC, you have to shell out $40 for an edition that provides nothing new, and many gamers refuse to let that slide.
Moreover, 505 Games claimed it was impossible to give gamers who owned all the content (either by purchasing the game and DLC piecemeal or buying the Deluxe Edition) complimentary Ultimate Editions, which would have provided truly free next-gen upgrades. But in September, a handful of PlayStation owners discovered that their Control Deluxe Editions were accidentally — and temporarily — upgraded to Control Ultimate Edition, calling 505 Games' statement into question.
With any luck, the next-gen delay will give 505 Games enough time to backpedal in a direction Control fans agree with.