Don't expect PS5 games to come to PS4 too
'It is time to give the PlayStation community something new'
by Vic HoodSony recently revealed we'll be getting our first look at PS5 games on June 4, but if you're holding out hope that any of Sony's PS5 exclusives that are revealed during the showcase will come to the PS4 too, you might be disappointed.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Sony Interactive Entertainment's president and CEO Jim Ryan seemed to shoot down the possibility of PS5-exclusives games coming to PS4 in the future.
"We have always said that we believe in generations," Ryan said. "We believe that when you go to all the trouble of creating a next-gen console, that it should include features and benefits that the previous generation does not include. And that, in our view, people should make games that can make the most of those features.
"We do believe in generations, and whether it's the DualSense controller, whether it's the 3D audio, whether it's the multiple ways that the SSD can be used... we are thinking that it is time to give the PlayStation community something new, something different, that can really only be enjoyed on PS5."
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A different approach
Based on Ryan's words, it sounds like you'll have to upgrade to enjoy any of the PS5's launch titles, or any first-party PS5 games in the future. Still, third-party publishers will bring games to both platforms (as is the case with Assassin's Creed Valhalla), so it's not like PS4 players will automatically be left behind when the PS5 gets here.
This is a totally different approach to that which Microsoft is taking with the Xbox Series X, which will allow players to enjoy Xbox Series X games on both the next-gen console and the Xbox One. Not only that, but Microsoft has promised that Xbox Series X games will play "up and down" its generations of devices for at least the next year.
However, there is good news. Ryan confirmed the PS5 will release globally in its "Holiday 2020" release window and that both the console, and its games are still on track.
We can't wait to hear more about the PS5's game line-up on June 4 - even if we may have to shell out for an upgrade to play its biggest titles.