Owners of the original version of Control say they recently discovered it had automatically switched to the new Ultimate edition that ensures a free upgrade to next-gen platforms, raising even more questions about why the game’s upgrade process continues to be such a mess.
The game’s publisher, 505 Games, had previously said that the only way to upgrade to the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Control, rather than just buying them outright, would be to buy the Ultimate edition released earlier this week. “We are unfortunately unable to offer an upgrade path to all existing Control players,” the publisher wrote in a blog post last month. But the latest development has called that explanation into question.
Shortly after Control Ultimate edition went on sale yesterday, some PS4 users started sharing reports on the gaming forum ResetEra that it had replaced their existing Deluxe version bought when the game initially released. “Went on to the ps4 store new release area it says I own the control ultimate edition, I purchased the deluxe edition back at launch,” wrote one person on Twitter sharing a screenshot of the PlayStation store. Later in the day, some of these same PS4 users reported that their access to the Ultimate edition had been revoked.
505 Games did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
2019’s Deluxe edition was priced at $80 and included both of the game’s DLC expansions, the most recent of which, AWE, came out just last month. This week’s Ultimate edition is $40 and also includes both DLCs. In addition, however, it also includes a free upgrade to the PS5 version of the game when it comes out later this year. The Deluxe edition does not, except for the people who’s versions of the game appear to have gotten swapped.
As someone else on Twitter showed, the Microsoft store appears to treat the Ultimate edition like a bundle, informing people who own the base version of Control that they already own part of the bundle. So what’s stopping them from paying piece-meal for the rest? It’s unclear, and neither 505 Games, or Remedy Entertainment, which developed Control, has done much to clear up the confusion.