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Control Resonant will have a two-day PS5-exclusive early access, leading to frustration from some fans.
Yesterday, Remedy Entertainment announced that Control Resonant, the sequel to one of the studio’s most beloved games, will release on September 24. This should’ve been a moment of celebration, but unfortunately, it has since been overshadowed with news that Control Resonant will get 48-hours of early access through the game’s digital deluxe edition, but this is only applicable to PS5. There will be no early access on Xbox or PC, as it appears the 48-hours of early access is tied to PlayStation’s marketing agreement for the game.
Some fans have stated that they won’t be pre-ordering the game or will wait to buy it when it’s on sale, as they don’t want to support these kinds of practices. “Great, now I know what September game to skip until holiday sales,” said one fan in response to the news.
“Platform-exclusive content is one thing,” said another fan. “Platform-exclusive ‘early access’ while selling the same Deluxe Edition on every platform is another. My money will be going elsewhere.”
Early access in games has been a divisive topic for a while now, as it’s techncially a way for publishers to charge more for the game’s actual release date. After all, is it really “early” if you can pay to play it at the same time as everyone else? It’s an easy way to cash in on FOMO, but now it seems to be crossing a line into platform exclusivity.
Control Resonant is also releasing on the same day as Silent Hill: Townfall, creating competition between the two titles. In response to Control’s early access, one fan stated they’d be skipping it in favor of Silent Hill. “Shame, Silent Hill: Townfall suddenly looks like a much [nicer] purchase on September 24,” the person said.
September is already a very crowded month for game releases, as it appears that major titles are considering that a sort of cut-off before GTA 6 begins its domination. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will release in October, but that is standard for the franchise and it’s arguably one of the only games that can release in close proximity to GTA 6 without taking too much damage. With that said, players are likely going to be pretty selective with their money come September, so publishers are going to have to fight hard to win players over.
Recently, Remedy’s new CEO, Jean-Charles Gaudechon, stated that Alan Wake 2 and Control should’ve sold better and is actively looking for ways to expand the audience for those franchises. Whether or not a controversial move like platform-exclusive early access can help with that remains to be seen.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
