Resident Evil 7’s Next-Gen Upgrade Has Left Out A Huge Detail
They need to correct this.
June 14 was huge for Resident Evil fandom because Capcom launched next-gen upgrades for Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 7, bringing said titles up to modern gaming standards. It was a very welcome update for the modern era of Resident Evil, and the best part about it wasn’t all the improvements that the updates brought but the fact that all three respective updates were completely free of charge — unless you obtained Resident Evil 7 through PS Plus.
As reported by Destructoid, the owners of said games on PS4 and Xbox one can now upgrade them with numerous benefits like faster load times, ray tracing, and haptic feedback. However, PS5 players that obtained Resident Evil 7 as part of the PlayStation Plus Collection — an assortment of 20 PS4 titles which was exclusive to PS5 PS Plus subscribers — aren’t eligible for a free PS5 version upgrade, meaning they have to purchase the game separately, in order to get the next-gen upgrade.
Those who bought a digital copy of Resident Evil 7 for PS4 shouldn’t have an issue finding the nice-looking “Free PS5 Upgrade” button. The same can be said for gamers who purchased the game’s physical copies. However, those that got the game as part of the Collection would have to shell out another $20 for a stand-alone digital copy, select the right version from the PS5’s game menu, and claim the upgrade that way.
We’re not quite sure why Sony decided to ostracize gamers that got Resident Evil 7 through PlayStation Plus Collection. We understand that profits play a crucial role in coming to that decision, considering that the Collection version of the game costs only a fraction of its market value. But with Sony’s PlayStation 5’s initial absence from the market and lack of high-quality games at its launch, the PlayStation Plus Collection was a great perk for those who actually managed to get their hands on Sony’s elusive gaming hardware.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time a game from PlayStation Plus wasn’t eligible for an upgrade. Final Fantasy VII: Remake was previously made available to the PS Plus subscribers last year, but that copy of the game wasn’t eligible for the PS5 upgrade either. This forced those who already owned the game to purchase a stand-alone digital copy of the game, only to gain access to the updated features and exclusive content, just like with Resident Evil 7 now.
There’s still hope for Resident Evil 7, though, considering that Sony decided to revise its decision about Final Fantasy VII: Remake, allowing the Collection version to upgrade to the PS5 edition. However, for Sony’s customers, that decision was too little too late, and numerous customers in Sony’s home market concluded that Xbox offered a better deal, leading to a historical moment of Xbox finally outselling PlayStation. In PS’s home market, nonetheless.
It’s still uncertain if Sony will eventually include the Collection version of Resident Evil 7, but it would certainly be appreciated by those who already bought the game in a pack that Sony specifically designed to keep its new console competitive and afloat.
