Sucker Punch’s open-world samurai game Ghost of Tsushima is getting a Steam port this month that will require a PlayStation Network account to access its multiplayer mode.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because Sony recently announced that the “grace period” for the beloved multiplayer game Helldivers 2 was over, and Steam users would have to sign into PlayStation Network to keep playing the shooter on their PC.
The 2020 action game is coming to PC on May 16, and after the Helldivers hoopla, some are hesitant to buy Sony games on the Steam storefront.
Sucker Punch posted a tweet promoting the PC version, and a user responded, claiming they canceled their pre-order in the wake of Sony’s policy.
Sucker Punch responded by saying that while a PSN account would be required to play the game’s Legends multiplayer mode, Ghost of Tsushima’s campaign would be playable without a separate sign-in.
This exchange happened on Friday, May 3, two days before Helldivers’ Arrowhead Studios reversed its policy requiring a PlayStation sign-in on Steam.
The backlash was largely because this requirement was added after the fact, and after players flocked to the game for months.
We’ve reached out to Sony for comment on whether Ghost of Tsushima will still require a PlayStation Network sign-in and will update this story if we hear back.
Ghost of Tsushima, an open-world samurai game developed by Sucker Punch, will be released on Steam this month. To access the multiplayer mode, players will need a PlayStation Network account. The reason this sounds familiar is that, following a weekend of outcry, Sony changed its mind. While fans of Helldivers 2 may be spared, it appears that this will still be applied to other Sony-published games on Steam, as demonstrated by Ghost of Tsushima. Sony had previously announced that the “grace period” for the popular multiplayer game Helldivers 2 was over, and Steam users would need to sign into PlayStation Network to keep playing the shooter on their device.
Some people are reluctant to purchase Sony games on the Steam storefront in light of the Helldivers controversy, but the 2020 action game will be available for PC on May 16. A user reacted to a tweet from Sucker Punch promoting the PC version by saying they had canceled their pre-order due to Sony’s policy. In response, Sucker Punch stated that while the Legends multiplayer mode of the game would require a PSN account to play, the campaign for Ghost of Tsushima would not require a separate sign-in.
This conversation took place on Friday, May 3, just two days before Arrowhead Studios, a Helldivers company, changed its mind and stopped requiring a PlayStation sign-in on Steam. It’s unclear right now whether Ghost of Tsushima will follow suit or if Sony will include it right away rather than adding it months later as Helldivers 2 attempted to do. The main reason for the backlash was that this requirement was added after the fact, after months of players flooding the game. Nonetheless, Helldivers 2 has been sold in regions where players are unable to create accounts for PlayStation’s online services, and this PSN requirement also excludes those players. Therefore, it’s much more difficult for some players than just connecting two accounts.
We have contacted Sony to inquire about whether a PlayStation Network sign-in is still necessary for Ghost of Tsushima, and we will update this story accordingly.
