PlayStation is altering its approach to PlayStation Network (PSN) account requirements for its PC games. The company is finally changing its PSN requirement policy for popular games.
On release, several titles, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and God of War Ragnarök, required players to log in with a PSN account. This practice faced criticism, especially after people reacted poorly to the PSN requirement for Helldivers 2. In response to this feedback, PlayStation announced a change in policy. PSN accounts will become optional for these four titles on PC. However, the company is implementing an incentive program to encourage players to keep using their PSN accounts. These incentives will include in-game content unlocks, varying by game.
Players tend not to like launchers to begin with, except apparently with Steam, so not needing an account to access the launcher is a good thing. Ubisoft has tried their own way of bypassing launcher business by including the launcher in the game. However, Sony’s way sounds a lot better because it doesn’t require purchases.
For Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, players who log in with a PSN account will receive early access to specific suits. God of War Ragnarök players will get access to an armor set and resources otherwise unavailable until a New Game+ playthrough. The Last of Us Part II Remastered offers bonus points and an additional skin for Ellie, while Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered provides a unique outfit for the player character.
Beyond in-game content, using a PSN account will continue to offer access to features such as trophies and friend management. The company intends to expand these in-game content unlock incentives to other PlayStation Studios titles in the future. Sony isn’t likely going to let players play games without some pressure to join, but the choice may be there for more title over time.
The implementation timeline varies by game. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s incentive program launches concurrently with the game’s release. The Last of Us Part II Remastered will receive its content unlocks on its April 3, 2025 release date. Sony has not given any release dates for the in-game content unlocks for God of War Ragnarök and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.
Source: PlayStation Blog, The Verge
