Cognition Dissemination: Sony Should Still Have a Cross-Buy System

It’s understandable that Sony won’t have an official cross-buy system for the PlayStation 5 like their competitors.

It was welcome news when Microsoft announced their Smart Delivery system, where anyone who purchases specific game on Xbox One will get the upgraded Xbox Series X version free of charge, and vice versa. The last console generation was flooded with cross-generation games and remasters between the Xbox 360 and XB1 (and PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4) with no such cross-purchasing options. This effort on the Xbox brand’s part will make transferring games like Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to next-gen consoles easy.

But it would have been a surprise if Microsoft didn’t have a cross-play system for the Xbox family given the approach they’re taking. They’re betting on the gaming audience being largely over the concept of console generations and are reducing all potential complication by releasing future games for all the systems. (In addition to the XB1 and XSX, there are rumors of another lower-powered “Lockhart” system coming.) It’s why all their first-party games for at least the first year of the XSX’s lifetime will also be available for XB1, though the risk of current and next-gen console development costs and the desire to profit on these titles is another reason for this.

Sony, however, is doing no such thing. Games like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will be exclusive to PS5. There was hope that they might have a cross-buy system similar to how they released specific software between PlayStation 3 and Vita, but it makes sense that they won’t considering lack of cross-gen first-party software.

They should still do it, though.

Sony having an officially-named cross-buy system would be convenient for everyone involved. It would assure anyone purchasing the bound-to-be-expensive PS5 that they’ll be able to buy software between it and the PS4 for a one-time purchase. Not doing this risks Microsoft having an ostensible marketing advantage, thus making them look more consumer friendly.

This is despite how at least some third-party games will be cross-purchasable between PS4 and PS5. CD Projekt RED confirmed that the PS4 version of the aforementioned Cyberpunk 2077 can be played on PS5 with some enhancements, with a next-gen-centric upgrade coming in the near future for free. Whether that upgrade will be a separate version is anyone’s guess right now, but the “free” part is what matters here. The PS5 version of Destiny 2 will also be free for anyone who owns the PS4 version, as will Marvel’s The Avengers when it arrives on the system’s launch day and eventually Madden NFL 21. The cross-purchasable games are being announced on an individual basis by their publishers, with Sony relaying the info through the PlayStation Blog and social media channels.

Looking at the details, though, there’s no real difference between Sony and Microsoft’s cross-buy systems. Sony’s approach makes it fully appear that the publishers are deciding whether their games will be cross-purchasable or not, but they’re also able to opt out of Microsoft’s Smart Delivery system. Microsoft’s just doesn’t seem that way, even to those who keep up with gaming news and next-gen console developments, but that’s the genius of it. There’s a little deception here, and the illusion will shatter if even a handful of publishers decide they want no part of Smart Delivery. You just know some dickish company that will want people to buy their game twice come along eventually. But that hasn’t happened yet, and it’s making Microsoft look more pro-consumer.

This is partly why Sony should still establish an officially-named system even if their existing system is similar to Microsoft’s in theory. Another reason is because they could eventually take advantage of it. The Last of Us was originally released on PS3, but was remastered for a PS4 release after about a year. Would it be a surprise if the same happened to the just-released The Last of Us Part II? Of course not. The same could happen with Ghost of Tsushima, which will release for PS4 on July 17. They could also choose to simply enhance the PS4 versions for PS5 since both titles are bound to be backwards-compatible. But it would help if Sony used them to establish a system for simplicity’s sake and because it would make the consumer look like they’re getting a great deal.

Well, assuming they won’t be the “dickish” company I referenced above by making people purchase the remastered versions on PS5 again. The chances of that aren’t high, but they’re more than insignificant.

For the third reason: It’s unlikely that any third-party game available through Xbox Smart Delivery won’t be available with the same cross-buy option on PlayStation platforms, but publishers not releasing their games on Xbox platforms (particularly Japanese developers) might try to skip cross-buy options because Sony doesn’t have a named system. Having one would give them more incentive to participate in the option. It would be best if it doesn’t come to that in the first place, but depending on publisher generosity is a fool’s errand.

Sony’s PS5 showcase coming and going without any mention of a cross-buy system, and the lack of a confirmation just before and after it, bodes ill for them even eventually having one. But it’s not too late for them to change their minds. We’ll eventually see if they consider it, or if they care enough to.