Earlier this morning, Xbox head Phil Spencer shared new details about Xbox Series X and a new “Smart Delivery” feature that Microsoft is committed to supporting on all of its upcoming games. According to Spencer, “This technology empowers you to buy a game once and know that – whether you are playing it on Xbox One or Xbox Series X – you are getting the right version of that game on whatever Xbox you’re playing on.”
Soon after Spencer detailed this new Smart Delivery feature, CD Projekt Red, developer of the upcoming AAA title Cyberpunk 2077, confirmed on Twitter that the game will support Smart Delivery. In other words, consumers who purchase the Xbox One version of the game later this Fall will get the Xbox Series X upgrade for free when it’s available.
Gamers should never be forced to purchase the same game twice or pay for upgrades. Owners of #Cyberpunk2077 for Xbox One will receive the Xbox Series X upgrade for free when available. https://t.co/nfkfFLj85w
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 24, 2020
This kind of announcement does matter as Polish game studio CD Projekt Red has become a very influential developer over the years. As pointed out by Eurogamer yesterday, it’s now the second-biggest video game developer in Europe after Ubisoft. Moreover, some of its games such as The Witcher 3 have been able to enjoy persisting momentum, especially after the Netflix Originals series drove US game sales 554% up YoY in December.
Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely one of the most-anticipated games of the year, with a massive open world, deep RPG mechanics, and the much-talked-about presence of Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves portraying one of the game’s supporting characters. Reeves’ presence was one of the highlights of Microsoft’s E3 press event last year, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft once again gives Cyberpunk 2077 the spotlight at its E3 presser this year.
CD Projekt Red backing up Microsoft’s Smart Delivery initiative is a pretty big deal, and we hope other big developers will follow. As the majority of gamers is now slowly but surely making the move to digital, these cross-generation experiences could soon mark the end of console generations as we know them.
