Microsoft Urges Studios Not To Sell Next-Gen Versions As Paid DLC, Rather Align With Smart Delivery For Free

With the next-generation of hardware right around the corner this holiday season, fans have been skeptic of whether or not to buy their favorite games now for current systems or simply wait for the next wave of consoles to ship later on. While that traditionally has become problematic the past generation, this does not look to be an issue for the most part on Xbox’s side of things.

That can thankfully be resolved by Microsoft’s Smart Delivery initiative to support consumers who purchase certain properties ahead of the release for Xbox Series X and will pardon their current-generation version for a respected iteration for the coming unit. However, while this ideology does align for the console giant, it is unsure if studios and publishers would agree with the approach at hand for purchasers.

In spite of that possibility, Microsoft urges teams to follow in their path to present next-generation versions of their game for free. Instead of selling their properties for full price on both platforms – companies should help players transition to their preferred platform of choice with no hassle of an addition pay wall.

Sources reporting to Video Game Chronicles disclose that Microsoft has been very open with the idea and want third-parties to be open to many options regarding cross-gen projects. According to a spokesperson at Microsoft, the firm had this to say on the matters:

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.

If teams do not directly follow the structure to provide their anticipated titles for free when the next-generation arrives, Microsoft does encourages companies to adopt two-game bundles instead. Looking at 2K with the coming NBA 2K21, the publisher did such with the $99.99 Mamba Forever Edition which offers both versions for a discounted price instead of making the consumer opt-in for two, full price versions of the same game.

Elsewhere, we have seen firms integrate their own iterations of offering consumers cost-free, next-generation titles. This being operated under Electronic Arts, their pseudo-Smart Delivery ‘Dual Entitlement’ essentially does the same function. However, players will only have one full year before the offer is invalid: the publisher also disclosed that users will have to be cautious of their purchasing which could void the offer with “discless consoles.”

Back to Microsoft’s side of things, the firm has confirmed that physical copies alongside some respected Xbox Game Pass titles are also applied to the Smart Delivery system. You can read the full report by heading here.

Do you think Microsoft is heading in the right direction in betterment of the consumer?

Source: Video Game Chronicles