Hitman 3’s Next-Gen Upgrade Will be Free, Unlike Call of Duty
Hitman 3, the upcoming conclusion to IO Interactive’s reboot trilogy, is due to launch in January 2021. Joining a number of other developers – and running counter to several others – IO have now announced that the game will be getting a free next-gen upgrade. This means that gamers will be able to buy the game on current-gen consoles and later upgrade to the next-gen version for free.
The Hitman 3 Next-Gen Upgrade Will be Free For All
“Yes, we’re doing a next-gen upgrade for consoles and yes, it’s free,” confirmed IO Interactive, in a recent statement; “Console players can buy (including pre-order) a digital edition of Hitman 3 on the current generation of platforms and receive a free upgrade to the next-gen verson of the game for no additional cost.”
On Xbox, this free upgrade will be rolled out via the Xbox Smart Delivery program. On the PS5, players will be able to download the free update from the PlayStation Store. Hitman 3 isn’t the first game to offer this sort of free upgrade; major upcoming titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Marvel’s Avengers are also offering equivalent free upgrades. Additionally, currently active games like Destiny 2 and Doom Eternal have committed to similar deals.
However, this approach is not the same industry-wide. Perhaps most notably, Activision will not be offering a free next-gen upgrade for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Instead, gamers must pre-order a “cross-gen bundle” which includes a next-gen upgrade for an additional $10. This model has been adopted by other studios, such as Remedy (charging $10 for a next-gen upgrade for Control), and 2K, who are offering a similar bundle for NBA 2K21.
At present, developers seem to be split between these two camps; most ascribe to either a free model or a standard $10 upgrade. Understandably, gamers have generally been far more supportive of the former, with criticism emerging of companies like Activision for the extra charge. As the launch date of the next-gen consoles draws closer, it’s likely that more studios will announce their own plans. For now, it remains to be seen whether one or the other approach will win out as the standard model going forward.