505 declined to elaborate on what those “blockers” are, but the thrust of 505’s argument is straightforward. In the company’s words, the upgrade path on offer “is only possible when upgrading from the same version of the game,” which makes some degree of practical sense. The Ultimate Edition includes the core game, plus all post-launch fixes, patches and expansions — 505 naturally wouldn’t want to make some of that material available gratis to people who only own current-gen versions of the core game. And since additional development is only happening for next-gen versions of the Ultimate Edition, there’s no direct upgrade path for owners of the core version of Control. (505 also confirmed today that the Ultimate Edition will be the only version of the game available for PS5 and Xbox Series X.)

Despite the fact that “no decision was taken lightly,” finding a conciliatory solution doesn’t seem that difficult. By 505’s admission, the whole point of Control Ultimate Edition is to give new players the full Control experience in a single title. Rather than risk alienating existing fans — especially those who already bought the core game and spent $25 for the season pass — why not cut them some deals? Since 505 admits there won’t be “new exclusive content” for next-gen platforms, why not make the Ultimate Edition available for free to season pass holders? Or offer a discounted rate on the Ultimate Edition to people who already own the core game? 505 seems to have its mind firmly made up, but who knows — garnering goodwill sometimes does more for the bottom line than forcing sales.