Sony’s not doing itself any favors with the handling of Spider-Man‘s upcoming PlayStation 5 remaster.
As confirmed earlier this month, Insomniac’s acclaimed 2018 title, a PS4 exclusive, is headed to next-gen later this year with a raft of visual and technical improvements intended to take advantage of the superior hardware housed within the PS5. A welcome announcement, of course, but seemingly forgetting the backlash Activision received in 2016 for its bungled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered launch (initially only available as a bundle with Infinite Warfare), Sony has essentially made the exact same mistake.
Only by purchasing the Ultimate Edition of Spider-Man: Miles Morales – which is $20 more expensive than the standard version – will Spidey fans be able to get their hands on Peter Parker’s original adventure and it’s now been confirmed that the premium will be required regardless of whether you own the PS4 version or not.
In a statement provided to Kotaku, the company said:
There are no plans currently to offer Marvel’s-Spider-Man: Remastered as a standalone. Players with a copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 can purchase Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition to experience Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered on PS5. Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 also will be backwards compatible on PS5.
As for why there’ll be no standalone release and, by extension, no free upgrade, a quick read between the lines suggests Sony believes the improvements justify a $20 price tag which, if accurate, is a bizarre decision to make, considering those who purchase Miles Morales on PS4 will be eligible for a free upgrade as and when they decide to make the jump to next-gen. Whatever the rhyme and reason behind its actions, Sony certainly isn’t doing itself any favors right now, especially when Microsoft’s Game Pass service is offering more value than ever to the consumer.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales and its accompanying remaster will be available alongside the PS5 on November 12th in North America and November 19th worldwide.
