Xbox Pushing Free Next-Gen Upgrades on Devs?

We know the Xbox Series X Smart Delivery program will be revolutionary. The service allows Xbox One players to have upgraded versions of their games for free. For the most part, this only applies to Xbox Game Studios titles, but a new rumor suggests that the company might be pressuring other developers as well.

Let’s look at it this way: no developer has to listen to Microsoft on this. However, if they do decide to offer free upgrades on their games from Xbox One to the new Xbox Series X, that could be a huge benefit. For the developer, that means more sales now and fewer people waiting until the new console for top titles. For Xbox, that means some gamers might decide on their new console based on what they can play from this generation on the new one.

It’s not necessarily going to be a console seller, but the Smart Delivery system has a chance to be a huge factor in Microsoft’s future. Sources at Video Games Chronicle published the rumors from a “publishing source with knowledge of Microsoft’s next-gen policies.” Titles like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and FIFA 21 are confirmed Smart Delivery titles. So is Cyberpunk 2077, which will also work on the Xbox Series X with an Xbox One disk.

The future is all about new graphics and games. Still, features like backward compatibility matter to gamers who want a single console to play all of their titles. PlayStation is a bit less progressive in this matter, but they have the flexibility to blaze their own trail. As a clear winner in this current-gen console war, the PS4 primed the PS5 to do its own thing to some extent. Still, if Xbox can convince devs to feature games in a cross-gen delivery system, that could be a major help in their aims to take back mainstream console gaming.