Journey and The Unfinished Swan free on PS4 if you own them on PS3

By Will Fulton August 15, 2014

journey unfinished swan coming ps4 cross buy — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The 2012 indie masterpieces Journey and The Unfinished Swan are coming to PlayStation 4, and now — as Sony confirms — with Cross-Buy compatibility, meaning that gamers who already own either title for PlayStation 3 will be able to download the upgrade for free.

Journey was the breakout success of Jenova Chen, who had earned indie cred with Flow and Flower. A meditative co-op exploration puzzler, Journey was a key part of demonstrating the potential mass market appeal and broad cultural reach of indie games. The score was even nominated for a Grammy.

Related: Take an artful Journey with Jenova Chen’s masterpiece (review)

The Unfinished Swan from Giant Sparrow Games was not as widely popular as Journey, but is no less lovely. It tells a thoughtful and heartwarming fairy tale about a lonely orphan through the compelling mechanic of exploring a stark white environment that only achieves definition when you splatter it with color.

Both games are on the shorter end, but are extremely memorable, and the announcement of Cross-Buy will go a long way toward encouraging fans to pick up these games again and share them with new audiences in glorious, revamped 1080p.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

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