Sony has updated its certification process for upcoming PS4 titles making it mandatory that they run on PS5 too. In addition, Sony has told all PlayStation 4 game developers that any new titles submitted for certification from 13 July 2020 but also be compatible with PlayStation 5.
Read: Sony Announces ‘The Future of Gaming’ PS5 Event For 4 June 2020
What this means is that all PS4 games currently in development that are sent to Sony for testing on and after 13 July 2020 must be forward compatible on the PS5.
Details reveal that Sony will contact developers directly with details on how to test whether or not their game is PS5 compatible. A game will only be registered as “PlayStation 5 compatible” if the submitted code runs on Sony’s next-gen console without issues. In addition, the game needs to provide the same features on PS5 as it does on PS4.
Sony has also laid down the regulations for games sent for certification before 13 July 2020. If a game was submitted before the cut off date, any new remaster patch or update would nor require PS5 compatibility but it would be “strongly recommended.”
Keep in mind that the certification process for games is not the same as saying the release date. Games are sent into Sony way before launch for testing. Often this is months in advance. Games like Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part II would have already been sent in. Perhaps even Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. This blanket statement makes it impossible for a developer to release a game on PS4 later this year without it being compatible with PS5.
While Sony took some heat back in March for their backwards compatibility approach, they seem to be pushing for all PlayStation 4 games being playable on the PlayStation 5 at launch. This new regulation is just one of the ways Sony is pushing for more support.
Sony is set to host its “Future of Gaming” event this Thursday evening where the company will finally showcase over an hour of games coming to the next-gen console later this year.
