We still don’t have all of the details on how the PlayStation 5’s backward compatibility will work, but we can at least count on most new PlayStation 4 releases as being fully functional. In a new document posted to Sony’s internal partner website, the company states that all PS4 submissions from July 13, 2020, onward must be compatible with its next-generation console.
The document was seen and reported by Eurogamer, who goes into detail about how Sony will be certifying new releases as compatible with the PS5. According to the document, “compatibility” refers to a game running on PS5 with no issues and with all of the same features that it had on PS4. As Eurogamer puts it, “A developer couldn’t flag their game as PS5 compatible but not provide support for a certain mode.”
What that means in terms of playability is likely that PS4 Pro modes need to be tested separately. If a developer cannot get certain modes working, then PS5 compatibility will not be granted. Any patches or “remasters” will also need to maintain PS5 compatibility, as well.
As for where that leaves the current PS4 library, according to the rules laid out by Sony, older games won’t require PS5 compatibility. Sony is stressing that support is “strongly recommended,” but it seems that it won’t be forcing devs to go back to older code and rework it. It should be also noted that games releasing directly after July 13 will have been submitted before that date, so they aren’t technically required to have PS5 support either.
This would mean both of Sony’s major first-party offerings for this year, The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima, technically do not need to offer PS5 forward compatibility. Both titles will likely feature it (as it would be insane for Sony to do otherwise), but that’s what this documentation is getting at.
It’s a lot of techno-babble that might confuse some people, but it does give us one concrete fact: any new PS4 releases from later this year will need to be compatible with the PS5. Developers will be able to continue working on PS4 titles for the next few years without worrying about losing potential customers to the next generation. That should be a big relief to them.
Source: Eurogamer
READ NEXT: Sony Will Be Revealing PlayStation 5 Gameplay On June 4
