Control Ultimate Edition lands August 27 with ‘free’ next-gen upgrades

Decisions, decisions: Publishers who have current-generation games set to release between now and the launch of the next-gen consoles are in a bit of a pickle on how to transition players to the newer hardware. Do they give early buyers free access to the upgraded version of the game, or charge them again when the optimized title releases?

Remedy’s action-adventure game Control is approaching its one-year birthdate later this month. To celebrate, publisher 505 Games announced it would be releasing an “Ultimate” version bundled with the Season Pass. Perhaps best of all, the package deal also includes the optimized versions coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X later this year.

More good news is that for PC users, the game’s exclusivity on the Epic Games Store will have ended by the time the bundle ships. Control Ultimate Edition will be available through Steam this time around.

At only $40, it’s not a bad deal if you consider the initial base cost of $60 when it was released and another $25 for the Season Pass. Plus, it landed on our Best PC Games (You Should Be Playing) list, so you know you can’t go wrong.

The downside is that the next-gen upgrade does not apply to people who already own the game, even if they have the Season Pass. Many other games like Square Enix’s Avengers and CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 are coming with free PS5 and XBSX upgrades, but these are never before released titles.

Of course, nobody says 505 or Remedy has to eat it on next-gen versions of their games. However, recognizing those who already paid $60 or more for it by giving them free optimizations goes a long way in the PR department. It also seems a bit backward—rewarding those who waited to buy it on the cheap and punishing early adopters.

For example, Bethesda announced it would provide free next-gen upgrades for Doom Eternal and The Elder Scrolls Online to those who already own the games. Not giving current Control owners, who may have already shelled out up to $85 for it, access to next-generation optimizations seems a bit like a slap in the face in that light.

In any event, Control Ultimate Edtion rolls out on the game’s first anniversary, which is August 27. That is also the release date for the second story expansion titled “Awe” (trailer above).