In finally disclosing details about backward compatibility on the PlayStation 5, Sony confirmed the vast majority of PlayStation 4 titles will work on the upcoming system. Only 10 aren’t on track to make the generational leap. Shadwen, the 2016 stealth-action game from Frozenbyte, counts among those 10. And there exists a specific reason as to why it’s being left behind, too–a freezing issue with the loading screen. As of now, Frozenbyte has no plans to fix the problem and make it functional on Sony’s next-gen hardware.
The developer explained as much while speaking Push Square about Shadwen’s backward compatibility woes. Apparently, a clear cut reason for the freezing loading screen is not easily discernible. Frozenbyte told the publication the following,
We have a lot of PS4 games that are playable on PS5, including all of the Trine games and Nine Parchments. However, for some reason, Shadwen freezes on the loading screen. If this happened on one of our newer games, we’d probably figure out the reason quickly. Unfortunately, Shadwen is quite old, using an older version of our engine, and we don’t have it up and running anymore.
That’s one title that will remain stranded, so to speak, on PS4. But another of the 10 non-backward compatible games, DWVR, could make the jump thanks to a patch currently in the works. A developer behind DWVR said as much in a recent Reddit post. They hope to have the patch ready in time for PS5’s launch in November. As of writing, it remains to be seen whether the other eight games may eventually see their backward compatibility status changed.
PlayStation 5 hits store shelves in the US, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and South Korea on November 12th. Sony’s new console lands in Europe, the Middle East, South America, Asia, and South Africa the next week on November 19th.
[Source: Push Square]
