In a move that has caught many gamers off guard, Sony has increased the price of the PlayStation 4 Complete Edition of Horizon Zero Dawn on the PlayStation Store. The price has been doubled from $20 to $40, a significant jump that comes just weeks before the release of the remastered version for PlayStation 5 and PC.
This price hike was first noticed by Video Games Chronicle and confirmed by price-tracking websites like PSDeals.net and PSPrices.com. It’s worth noting that while the digital price has been bumped up, physical copies of the PS4 Complete Edition can still be found at a lower price on third-party retailers like Amazon.
Although PlayStation has remained silent on the matter, the timing of the price increase suggests a strategic move to discourage players from purchasing the older version in favor of the upcoming remastered edition. The remastered version, which includes the Frozen Wilds DLC and a range of visual and performance upgrades for the PS5, is set to release on October 31st. For existing Horizon Zero Dawn owners, the upgrade to the remastered version is available for a more affordable $10 on both PS5 and PC.
This isn’t the first time this month that PlayStation has quietly increased prices on its products. Earlier in September, the price of the DualSense controller was universally increased by $5 across all versions, except for the DualSense Edge, which remains priced at $200.
The price increase for Horizon Zero Dawn has sparked debate among gamers, with some questioning the rationale behind the move, especially considering the relatively recent release of the original game and the availability of the remastered version for a relatively low upgrade cost. This situation highlights the growing trend of game developers and publishers capitalizing on the anticipation of new releases by increasing prices on older versions of their games. It remains to be seen how this move will impact the overall sales of both the original and remastered versions of Horizon Zero Dawn.
