Now The Single-Player God of War Ragnarok Needs PSN Too Because Sony Doesn’t Care

There’s no denying that everyone wants a piece of Sony’s delicious exclusives. The platform’s relative features, and the actions of the companies behind them aside, Sony’s single-player games are beloved, and wanted by all. Every time one comes out on PC, the reception is enormous. This was true for the first PC port, and it’s true now all the same. The next one is God of War Ragnarok, and I don’t think I need to tell you just how big this is.

However, recently, a peculiar problem has surfaced. A restriction by Sony has disheartened many fans.

The Sony PSN Requirement Fiasco Continues

So, what exactly is this “restriction?” It happened back when Helldivers 2 came out. Sony’s first simultaneous PC release, Helldivers 2’s reception was beyond imagination. However, Sony soon came up with a strange decision. Helldivers 2’s PC copies would require a PSN account to play.

This meant that the game would become completely unplayable in all those regions in which creating a PSN account was impossible; people’s money and time down the drain. Steam issued appropriate refunds and the game was delisted in many regions, followed by a massive backlash. Sony saw the follies of this decision and took it back. The damage was done, but further harm was prevented.

Helldivers 2 has now received 84,000 negative reviews in the past day. pic.twitter.com/hEUznJ1IYv

— SteamDB (@SteamDB) May 4, 2024

What followed was something even more shocking. I thought Sony learned its lesson. But it was the exact opposite. Sony recanted the PSN requirement from Helldivers 2 because it wasn’t pre-informed. For the next one, Sony announced a lot earlier that “The PSN requirement is here to stay, live with it.” This port was nothing other than the extremely desired Ghost of Tsushima, subsequently delisted in countless regions.

Despite all that, it seems Sony has no plans of going back. The latest PC port is God of War Ragnarok. The most beloved and awaited one, yet Sony has added a PSN requirement once again. I should mention here that in the last two games, PSN was tied to online modes. Ragnarok, however, is a completely single-player game. As illogical as it may be, Sony has no plans of backing out.

God of War: Ragnarok requires PSN Account, which means not available in 180 Countries. SONY IS Smoking something.
byu/kristijan1001 inSteam

The Games Are Selling Great, Why Take Action?

Sony’s anti-consumer practices and blatant disregard for its fanbase are reprehensible, but the question is, does it matter? The presence of a PSN requirement caused these games to be delisted in over 100 countries. Despite that, Helldivers 2 is as popular as it gets, and Ghost of Tsushima’s sales are still breaking all the records. Do you see my meaning?

So I guess Sony is going after other games as well
byu/freakshow9009 inLinusTechTips

This might be a critical situation for you and me, but as far as Sony is concerned, it’s nothing but a minor inconvenience. Even after all is said and done, the company’s exclusives are selling like hotcakes on PC. This means that those 100+ countries where the games were delisted constitute a minority for Sony. Even without their input, the sale numbers haven’t dwindled so much as to force Sony’s hand to drop this.

This means Sony’s free to do whatever it pleases. It is getting absolute control over its games even when they’re on PC; its disregard for your wishes is apparent, but Sony knows you’ll still buy all its games, they’re just that good. 

It’s The Fans Who Are Suffering, Not Sony

Amidst all this mess, Sony is not hurting in the slightest. The one it affects the most is you, the consumer. As long as the tech giant is getting those juicy sales even when the game is not available in your region, it has no reason to go out of its way and back out of this policy just to make it available for you. You and I are a minority, it’s about time we accept that.

If the game is available in your region, then that’s great, it truly is, but imagine this for a moment. You’re in a region where a PSN account cannot be created. You wanted to play God of War Ragnarok ever since it came out but had to wait for a PC port. Now that the game’s finally here and you’re about to be rewarded, it gets snatched away from your hands while you stand there, helpless. How will you feel?

Comment
byu/kristijan1001 from discussion
inGames

Heartbroken, I’m sure. That’s the condition all those fans are in who can’t purchase and enjoy the game even if they want to. What’s their fault, living in a country where PSN can’t be created?

What Solution Is There But Piracy?

I know this is a sensitive topic but I’ll go ahead and say it anyway. Because of decisions like this, I don’t even blame people for resorting to piracy. First, the companies strictly forbid piracy, but then shut down all legal channels, what are the fans supposed to do? When you refuse to sell a game to people who are more than willing to pay for it, you leave them no choice.