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Xbox has told developers that the Xbox Series X Smart Delivery upgrades for their games should be free, according to a report (via VGC).
Smart Delivery means that if you buy Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines 2 for your Xbox One, you’ll also be entitled to Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines 2 for your Xbox Series X. Phil Spencer had previously stated that this would be an “opt-in” system, where publishers and developers would choose whether they wanted to release their new versions in this manner. However, this new report claims that these companies won’t be able to charge players for the Xbox Series X upgrade.
“Companies working on cross-gen games have been encouraged to offer both current and next-gen versions at no additional cost, either via Smart Delivery or their own schemes such as EA’s Dual Entitlement,” said sources close to the situation. What they’ll be able to do instead is “offer owners of current-generation games a discount on purchasing a second next-gen version of the game on the Microsoft Store.” Moreover, third-party publishers might be able to charge for Xbox Series X upgrades for physical games through retailers.
At the moment, the games that are signed up for Smart Delivery are Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077, Destiny 2, and FIFA 21. On the other hand, NBA 2K21 will be in the form of two-game cross-gen-compatible bundles in physical or digital form, which will come with a Xbox One and a Xbox Series X version of the game. “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,” said Microsoft in a statement to VGC.
