Ghost of Tsushima on PC will reportedly require players to have a PlayStation Network account before they are able to go online and access the game's multiplayer mode.
The game's developer, Sucker Punch, confirmed that a PSN account will be required for online play for the action-adventure game.
The studio also addressed player feedback last year regarding some canceling their pre-order of Ghost of Tsushima on Steam over Sony requiring them to link their PSN account to Steam.
Ghost of Tsushima PC's PSN Requirement
(Photo : Sony, Sucker Punch / Screenshot taken from official PlayStation blog)
The company said that a PSN account would be required to access Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, which is the game's multiplayer mode. This would also be needed to use the new PlayStation Overlay feature that will be added to the PC version of the game.
This particular feature connects PC players closer to the PlayStation ecosystem by allowing them to do things such as earn Trophies while playing on the PC version of some titles.
Sucker Punch also clarified that a PSN account is not required to play Ghost of Tsushima's single-player campaign, according to GameSpot.
The requirement for a PSN account was also something seen with Helldivers 2 when Sony announced that players would have to link it to their Steam accounts. However, following intense negative criticism, the company reversed course on the decision.
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Ghost of Tsushima was originally launched in 2020 and will be available to PC players starting May 16, 2024. Following the recent Helldivers 2 controversy, some players are reluctant to buy the action-adventure game as it comes from Sony and is on the Steam storefront.
It is currently unclear whether or not the Helldivers 2 outcome will affect Sony's efforts to require players to link their PSN accounts to play Ghost of Tsushima's multiplayer mode. The issue with Arrowhead Games Studios was that the requirement was announced suddenly and was made months after launch.
Sony's PlayStation Network Service
Additionally, it was more problematic for players whose countries have no access to the PlayStation Network service. Prior to reversing its decision, Sony pulled Helldivers 2 from Steam listing in countries that had no PSN access, said Kotaku.
Sony gave in and posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that they had heard player's complaints about the issue. This reversal highlights the sheer number of players who bombarded Heldivers 2's Steam page with negative reviews.
The game, which enjoyed an "overwhelmingly positive" rating since its launch, quickly dropped to "overwhelmingly negative" in just a few days. Prior to Sony changing its decision, there were more than 200,000 negative reviews on Valve's gaming platform for the first-person shooter
A community manager for the game, Spitz, also prompted concerns after he went silent on the Helldivers 2 Discord server after encouraging players to review bomb the game and demand refunds. He showed up later saying that he was not fired, but almost did.
On the other hand, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is a standalone multiplayer experience that lets players and up to three others fight enemies in special missions. They can also defeat wave after wave of foes and complete raids, according to GameInformer.
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