UPDATE
A new interview with Tales of Arise producer Tomizawa may have confirmed save transfers will come. The interview in question was in Japanese but a rough English translation was posted on Reddit. According to question regarding the PS4 upgrade, the producer noted that save transfers are possible. We’re uncertain if this is a future update planned with the game or if we can expect save transfers to work at launch. However, it does seem we will get to bring our progression despite the alert noted on the Bandai Namco website.
Original Story…
The next installment to the Tales franchise, Tales of Arise, will hit the market within this year. If you’re not aware there is free upgrade for this game. Players can upgrade from the PlayStation 4 version of this game to the PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, there is one downside to this upgrade path. It looks like players won’t find that their save progression will not carry over.
We found out about this on the official Tales of Arise portal through the Bandai Namco digital storefront. The alert states that PlayStation 4 versions of the game will upgrade on the PlayStation 5 without any additional charges. Just like with other free PS5 upgrades, players can insert their PlayStation 4 disc into the PlayStation 5. From there, you’ll receive a free digital download for the PlayStation 5 version of Tales of Arise. If you have a digital edition of the PlayStation 5, then you can still upgrade. Players will need to visit the game hub from the PlayStation Store and select the upgrade offer.
Tales of Arise offers fans the ability to experience the game on PlayStation 4 or on PlayStation 5 at no additional charge.
To upgrade your physical copy of Tales of Arise on PS4 to the digital PS5 version of Tales of Arise you will need a PS5 console with a disc drive. PS4 discs can’t be used with the PlayStation®5 Digital Edition. Visit PlayStation.com/support for more details.Tales of Arise save data created on the PS4 or PS5 versions of the game are not compatible.
As mentioned, the upgrade is available, but the saved data will not be carried over. Nevertheless, it’s nice to see more games receive the free PlayStation 5 upgrade, which should hopefully flesh out your PS5 catalog. Also, perhaps having the upgrade will give players more incentive to try out the game with the latest hardware. Although I can imagine there might be some frustration if you want to upgrade midway into the campaign.
Likewise, we recently found out that Tales of Arise will have a randomized element when crafting. So not only can you not bring your saved data, but getting the specific item and stats you had from the PlayStation 4 version of the game could become a chore. Currently, Tales of Arise releases on September 10, 2021, for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC platforms.