Every new console generation goes through some growing pains as players begin making the transition to new machines. Many games released during this time show up on both the current- and last-gen consoles, and while this is usually regarded as a consumer-friendly practice, doing so is incredibly difficult according to a developer who worked on Control.
This is especially relevant in the current state of console affairs, with the new Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 still extremely hard to find at retail. Many players will not have the chance to play the newest game on the latest hardware for quite some time, so the ability to play a new game on the console they already own is a huge positive.
But programming a video game across very different hardware specs is an incredibly difficult undertaking, according to communications director at Remedy Entertainment: Thomas Puha. Remedy’s latest game Control recently received next-gen versions for the Xbox Series X and PS5, and Puha described the process bluntly: “It sucks.” In an interview with IGN, Puha also explained that the cross-generational phase is why games on the new-gen are not the huge generational leap many players expected; it takes time for the industry to learn the new hardware and use it to the fullest without accounting for last-gen.
Game engines and hardware compatibility change across the generations, so the developers bringing Control to the new generation could not just copy and paste. According to Puha, it took months just to get the game running on the new consoles, only after which could they begin to add next-gen features like higher framerates and ray tracing. Even after all the work optimizing and polishing, the Series X version of Control still had some issues at launch. Puha explained that this entire process is much more complicated than players realize from a technical and business perspective; any time spent on updating an old game is time taken away from the next project.
This is especially difficult for a smaller developer like Remedy who, despite having a record sales year in 2020, is not a huge development studio with vast resources. While the process is difficult, Puha expressed optimism for the future and the now-current-generation of the Xbox Series consoles and PlayStation 5. "You only need to look at previous generations," said Puha, referencing incredible-looking games like Modern Warfare that released in the mid-to-late portion of the PS4 and Xbox One life cycle.
While Remedy has done a lot of work to bring Control up to next-gen speed, its eyes clearly remain on the future. While the story in Control left room for a potential sequel, Remedy has not yet announced its next project. Players are eager to see what the inventors of bullet-time come up with next.
Control is available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, and PS5.
Source: IGN