Ghost Of Tsushima's PC Release Shows Sony Learned Nothing From Helldivers 2

Summary Steam refunds surge after Sony requires PlayStation account linking for Ghost of Tsushima PC release.

Account linking has caused backlash as over 170 countries can't play Ghost of Tsushima on Steam due to restrictions.

Sony faces criticism for locking out players over PlayStation account requirements, with there being a potential impact on future ports.

Ghost of Tsushima is finally due to launch on PC this month, after years of the acclaimed samurai title being highly requested by those on the platform following the successful ports of other PlayStation-exclusive titles such as God of War and Marvel's Spider-Man. Unfortunately, one new requirement in Sony titles has made it so many PC players can't play the upcoming title, resulting in mass refunds on Steam a mere week before its release.

Recently, Sony attempted to enforce account linking to the PlayStation Network in Arrowhead Game Studio's popular live-service shooter Helldivers 2. This decision proved to be so unpopular that the title saw a mass review bombing until Sony reverted this decision. A huge reason behind the outrage was due to many countries where the PlayStation Network isn't available risking becoming locked out of the game, despite potentially putting hundreds of hours into it since its launch in February 2024.

Related Every Video Game Release Date (May 2024) From major AAA releases to high-profile indies, May 2024 will see the release of a huge variety of titles catering to all kinds of players.

Ghost Of Tsushima's PlayStation Overlay Was A Sign Account Linking Was On Its Way

But Developer Sucker Punch Said This Wouldn't Be Needed For Single Player

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A month after the announcement that Nixxes - the studio that successfully ported the first two Marvel's Spider-Man games and Horizon Forbidden West - would bring Ghost of Tsushima to PC, PlayStation announced that it would be the first of its ports to feature a new PlayStation overlay. The idea behind the overlay is to let pre-existing PlayStation players see their friends list, trophies, settings, and profile from the start if they log in with their existing PlayStation Network account, and carry across their trophy progress, tying into cross-play functionality.

The original announcement in the April 17, 2024, PlayStation Blog post by Nixxes called the PlayStation overlay "optional" for both the single-player experience and the multiplayer Legends mode, despite tying into cross-play with PlayStation consoles by using the Friends list tool. Since then, developer Sucker Punch stated that a "PSN account is required for Legends online multiplayer mode and to use PlayStation overlay." in a post on X that suggested that players would still be able to access the single-player campaign without a PlayStation account.

Related Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut PC Edition Differences From The Original Ghost of Tsushima is coming to PC on May 16, 2024, with a wealth of new enhancements to make the game look and play better than ever.

Over 170 Countries Can No Longer Play Ghost Of Tsushima On PC

Steam Has Already Started Issuing Refunds

Custom Image by Glenn Bunn

Unfortunately, since then, because of the PlayStation Network account linking, Steam has removed the Ghost of Tsushima in over 170 countries, refunding those who pre-ordered it. SteamDb shows that these "purchase-restricted countries" were added to Ghost of Tsushima’s listings on May 10, showing that Sony hasn't learned anything from the previous reaction to such a feature in Helldivers 2.

While being unable to play the Legends multiplayer mode is undoubtedly going to disappoint many players, the main reason most were likely going to play the game was for its acclaimed story. Therefore, if the account-linking is only needed for Legends, instead of completely delisting the game in so many regions, Sony should consider releasing a cheaper version without Legends included so that those players don't have to miss out on the experience entirely.

It's disappointing to see the continued push for such a feature at the cost of some of a game's potential audience, and while the protest and review bombing worked for Helldivers 2 due to players already putting hours into the game, it seems like ports of PlayStation-published titles will include account linking as a feature going forward. While Ghost of Tsushima has a multiplayer mode to attempt to justify this inclusion, it's yet to be seen if Sony will try to justify it in the rumored God of War Ragnarök port, or the seemingly inevitable ports of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 or Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth to accompany their predecessors, as these are entirely single-player titles.

Sources: PlayStation Blog, Sucker Punch/X, SteamDb