New-gen consoles are right around the corner. Big titles and big changes are steaming ahead for the community. Now, according to Video Game Chronicle, Xbox has sweetened the deal further for its customers. 

Xbox to offer free upgrades

According to publishing sources, VGC has reported that Xbox has urged developers to let players upgrade their current-gen games to Xbox Series X versions as DLC, free of cost. 

This comes as an alternative to the smart delivery scheme. This is applicable to companies working on cross-gen games, say Cyberpunk 2077 for example. Developers cannot charge the users for the same.

Smart Delivery system

The Smart Delivery system is indeed a bonus. When a user buys a game for the present-gen console, he need not get another copy of the game when he purchases the Xbox Series X. Microsoft ensured that the game will be provided to the user at no cost. This feature applies to physical copies of games as well.

What happens to developers who skips this Xbox feature?

While many are in support of smart delivery, some have chosen against it. There are chances that these developers could provide a discount on the games. Developers who wish to skip on the Smart Delivery system have the option to ship their games with a cross-gen bundle (present-gen and next-gen). This could be done in both digital or physical form.

VGC also reported that the games that do not support Smart Delivery at launch will not be able to add the feature at a later point. This is to say that developers need to make their choice beforehand.

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Developers remain top priority

Microsoft isn’t pushing developers to take initiative. End of the day, developers are the decision-makers when it comes to their games. A Microsoft spokesperson told VGC,

“Developers and publishers ultimately decide how they deliver their games, and we work with them to provide the best possible experience based on their needs.

At Xbox, the player is at the center of everything we do, which is why we’re committed to supporting exclusive Xbox Game Studios titles, including ’Halo Infinite,’ with Smart Delivery, providing the best available version for whichever console you choose to play on.

It will be up to individual developers to determine whether they implement Smart Delivery, and they can choose to use it for titles that will release on Xbox One first and come to Xbox Series X later.” 

The person also stated that developers’ priorities were at the forefront of the agenda during the creation of Xbox Series X. 

Will Sony make a move?

Xbox is likely to make a big impact once it launches. To make things easier, the tools used to build the new-gen console games are the same tools that were used on Microsoft Windows 10 PC platform. This enables developers to easily ship games across platforms.

Sony, however, hasn’t come up with features similar to Smart Delivery yet. They will be providing free-upgrade to next-gen consoles for some games namely FIFA, Cyberpunk 2077, and so on.