505 Games, publisher of the action-adventure title, Control, shared a blog post recently to elaborate on decisions regarding the next-gen version of the game. Last week, the company announced Control Ultimate Edition, featuring The Foundation and AWE expansions for PC, current and next-generation consoles. Those who own the current-gen version of the game will not receive a free upgrade due to disparities across platforms.

Control Ultimate Edition – An Explanation

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— Control (@ControlRemedy) August 20, 2020

They explain further, saying “Every avenue we pursued, there was some form of blocker and those blockers meant that at least one group of players ended up being left out of the upgrade for various reasons. As of today, we can’t offer an upgrade to everyone, and leaving any one group out feels unfair.” Their upgrade path applies when upgrading from the same version of the game, but only next-gen will see additional development; meaning some players wouldn’t qualify.  505 Games acknowledges that this news is disappointing in nature, and seeks to clarify potential questions. The only version of the game available for next-gen is Control Ultimate Edition, but those who own the base game or any other additional features for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One can utilize backwards compatibility to “enjoy an enhanced experience”. They conclude saying that these decisions were made to simplify their product plan, and offer the full Control play experience in one place.

This is still an absolute kick in the nuts to all of your fans that supported the game and bought the DLC day one, and would like the enhanced copy of the game on next-gen, without having to buy it all again.

Others provide a free upgrade, whilst you do the exact opposite.

— Sonoshee McLaren (@BBIAJ) August 20, 2020

Responses to this explanation varied from enthusiastic acceptance to straight-up rejection and criticism. One user on Twitter responded to say they would buy the next-gen version, no explanation needed, while another took the news as a slap in the face to loyal fans. A lot of gaming companies are handling the upgrade situation differently, and respondents highlighted the vast majority who are offering free upgrades to their players. They don’t really seem to buy the notion that 505 Games can’t do the same.