Meanwhile, more and more former PlayStation-exclusive titles are also coming to PC. In the past, an approach by Sony had caused outrage among players. Now Sony is once again responding to the criticism and offering an alternative.
What was the problem? The discussion about PC players of certain titles needing to link their account to a PlayStation Network account started with Helldivers 2. Months after the game’s release, the developers announced a requirement that PC players would have to link their accounts in the future to continue using the game, even if they did not own a PlayStation and did not play with console players via crossplay.
The reason for this, according to Sony, was a security aspect. This sparked a huge wave of criticism, resulting in numerous negative reviews. This even led to the game temporarily having only 10% positive reviews, despite Helldivers 2 being well-received overall. The voices of the community led to the CEO of the studio behind Helldivers 2 responding and agreeing with the players. They want to work hard to regain the lost trust.
Ultimately, Sony backtracked and the announced requirement was lifted. However, this requirement still existed for some previously PS-exclusive games like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered or God of War Ragnarök. Sony now wants to change this, coinciding with the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Bonuses instead of Coercion
What change has Sony announced? In a blog post, Sony reports that this account linking requirement will be optional in some of their titles in the future. This change mainly applies to single-player games. Instead, players will be encouraged to link their accounts through exclusive items.
This mainly affects the following titles and brings corresponding bonuses:
| Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Early unlock of suits: – the Spider-Man 2099 black suit – the Miles Morales 2099 suit |
| God of War Ragnarök | – Access to the black bear armor set for Kratos in the first chest with lost items in the realm between realms (previously only available in a New Game+ run) – Resource pack (500 Hacksilver and 250 XP) |
| The Last of Us Part II Remastered (from April 3, 2025) | – 50 points to activate bonus features and unlock extras – Jordan’s jacket from Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as a skin for Ellie |
| Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered | – Nora Valiant Outfit |
So far, Sony has not further commented on whether this change will also apply to future games. However, the last sentence gives hope that this consideration is at least present:
“The game developers at PlayStation Studios will continue to work on providing players who sign up for a PlayStation Network account with additional benefits. More information can be found in the studio channels.”
Meanwhile, the ratings for Helldivers 2 have recovered, and the game is once again very popular. It’s so popular that not only millions of players are bravely fighting for freedom, but players can also look forward to a film adaptation in the future: Millions of players fought in Helldivers 2 on Steam and PS5, and now it is set to continue in theaters
