One of the best new features Microsoft have revealed for the Xbox Series X is the cross-buy program called Smart Delivery, which essentially gives you a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X version of a game if you buy it on the Xbox One (given that the game is available on both platforms, of course). All Microsoft games will support Smart Delivery going forward (and even some that have already released, like Gears 5), but even few third parties have gotten in on the act, with support for the feature confirmed for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Cyberpunk 2077.
And it seems EA might also jump on board the Smart Delivery train. In the company’s recent quarterly investors call, chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen suggested that the company’s upcoming games will come with the option to “be upgraded free for the next generation,” and that as such, revenue in the coming months may be impacted to some degree due to that.
“Note that this year the phasing includes the effect of revenue recognition from the games we are launching for the current generation of consoles that can also be upgraded free for the next generation. We’ve made a preliminary estimate of that impact in the phasing,” Jorgensen said. “But it should be noted that this will not affect net bookings for the full year, nor cash flow, just the timing of recognition.”
We don’t know much about what games EA have planned by way of releases for the rest of the year. Microsoft will be revealing Xbox Series X third party releases over the coming weeks, starting with tomorrow’s Inside Xbox, but it’s unknown if EA will be part of that. EA themselves will also be doing an all-digital EA Play in June, and we can expect to hear more about their upcoming games then.