Microsoft doesn’t want Xbox One to Xbox Series X video game upgrades to be paid DLC

2 min. read

Published on July 8, 2020

published on July 8, 2020

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According to a report by VGC, Microsoft is hold a fairly firm stance when it comes to how they want current and next gen Xbox video games handled going forward.

While there will be numerous titles that will be getting both an Xbox One and Xbox Series X release, the company is apparently restricting developers, or at least strongly discouraging them, from charging gamers for an upgrade to the Series X version as a separate fee or some kind of downloadable content (DLC) purchase.

Game developers will still be able to release separate Xbox One and Xbox Series X versions of their titles and ask players to buy each one and they’ll also be allowed to sell both versions as part of a bundle. Microsoft is, of course, encouraging everyone to take advantage of their Smart Delivery system though which will give gamers the Xbox Series X version of a game for free if they own the Xbox One version and vice versa.

As it stands right now, numerous third-party video games have been confirmed to be using Smart Delivery for their Xbox Series X release in addition to all of Microsoft’s first-party titles but some games, such as NBA 2K21, will need consumers to buy both outright.

It is important to emphasise that almost all Xbox One video games will work on the Xbox Series X console and many will even load faster and play better on it. The Xbox Series X versions will boast superior graphics however, so gamers wanting the best-looking version of their games will have to upgrade one way or another.

Interestingly, this report also confirms that those Xbox games using Smart Delivery will register as the same title on Xbox Live and share the same save data and Xbox Achievements. Video games that don’t support Smart Delivery and release two console versions will actually show up as separate games, similarly to how there are Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of some titles.

Is a free upgrade important to you or will you be buying two versions of some games? Share your thoughts with the community in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest and Twitter for more gaming content and check out all of the latest Xbox Series X news here.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.