PlayStation Defends PSN Requirement For PC, Citing Cross-Play & Progression

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Abdullah Waseem

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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PlayStation first introduced the PSN requirement for PC with Helldivers 2, ultimately reverting the decision due to huge backlash. However, the same requirement exists for the recent Ghost of Tsushima PC port and will be mandatory for all upcoming PlayStation PC ports.

Despite the criticism, PlayStation’s upcoming $40 hero shooter, Concord, will also require a PSN account, and the developers have even defended the decision. They say PlayStation accounts help them implement features like cross-play and cross-progression.

Why it matters: This requirement means you have to create a PlayStation ID on your PC. It also resulted in the delisting of games in regions where PlayStation doesn’t officially exist.

Talking to Eurogamer, lead character designer Jon Weisnewski stated that this implementation brings PC and PlayStation players together. It’s a layer that needs to be there for cross-play.

For us to have PC players and PlayStation 5 players together, for that cross-play and cross-progression to work, that’s a layer that needs to be there.

– Jon Weisnewski

While this statement does not directly come from PlayStation, it highlights the publisher’s approach, which is set to become the standard approach moving forward.

It is important to note that Helldivers 2, the first game impacted by this decision, did not support cross-progression. However, a major single-player title like Ghost of Tsushima 2 supports both cross-saves and cross-play.

Such a requirement can be justified when it comes to live service games. On the other hand, it makes little sense that a single-player title like God of War Ragnarok will require a PSN ID.

Since a large audience anticipates so many PC ports, PlayStation is limiting its own player base through this decision. While Concord’s cross-play argument may make sense, the same cannot be said for other PC ports.

Nonetheless, PlayStation’s decision already seems set in stone. The PSN requirement isn’t going anywhere, leaving PC gamers in non-supported regions with barely any options. Previous ports were easy for such gamers to access, leading to plenty of success for Sony early on.

Abdullah Waseem

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