Summary
PlayStationhas upset fans with a controversial mandatory sign-up for its PC games, and with seemingly no plans to backtrack, it looks likeSony may no longer be as player-focused as it once touted. PlayStation has been a titan of the gaming industry since its first console launch back in 1994. In the 2000s the brand became synonymous with its tag-line “For The Players,” but PlayStation may be ignoring its slogan with recent choices.
Just five years ago, PlayStation offering its AAA games on another platform would have felt extremely unlikely, but since the release ofHorizon Zero Dawnon PC in 2020 the company hasn’t slowed on releasing some of itsbest-selling PS games on PC. Though it launched in a buggy state,The Last of Us Part 1has proven that even the grandest of PlayStation’s works are open to a transfer, and both rebootedGod of Wargames making it to ultra-wide monitors has only supported this.Despite the strong launches, PlayStation is making a crucial mistake in not listening to its players.
PlayStation Seems To Be Ignoring Fan Backlash To Its PC Games
Sony Learned Nothing From Helldivers 2
The frustration over PlayStation’s PC games first reared its head whenHelldivers 2released on both PS5 and PC -players on Steam were able to play the PS-console-exclusive without having to be tethered to PlayStation in the form of a PS account sign-in. That is, of course, until PlayStation revealed that sign-ins would become mandatory and that, a decision came after the game’s fanbase developed.
Fans pushed back against the changes, review-bombing everything that developer Arrowhead Game Studios offered to the public.The company finally backed downand confessed that it had made a mistake. The change was rolled back, though many fans have conceded that the game may never feel the same after their trust was broken. Unfortunately, Sony seems to have not factored the controversy and backlash into its PC releases.
Why Are PSN Sign-Ups So Controversial For PlayStation Games?
Players Don’t Think PSN Accounts Are Necessary
Despite conceding toHelldivers 2players,it seems Sony is treating the controversy as a lost battle, not a lost war.Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cuthas finally made it to the Steam homepage, and Sony revealed to players before they chose to jump into the game that they’d need to connect to a PS account in order to engage in the title’s multiplayer Legends mode. This was met with backlash from players who were unhappy with the decision.
The modern video game landscape of always-online, always-connected titles has made many concerned about the safety of their data, with worries that large companies are looking to track their gameplay and potentially misuse their data. In many ways, players feel that their gameplay habits are none of PlayStation’s business, and now that the games have stepped over onto Steam, many wonder why the company is involving PSN sign-ups after choosing to offer its games to PC users.
More PlayStation Games Are Rumored To Be Coming To PC
Players Simply Don’t Want To Make PSN Accounts For Games They Play On PC
PlayStation hasn’t entirely understood what it means to offer games to PC users, and as a result,there are lots of players who now see it as a company in search of data outside of its jurisdiction.As rumors indicate thatThe Last of Us Part 2could come to PC next, players are growing concerned that their data is going to be on the line once again, even as a game with a multiplayer mode that never launched. PlayStation appears to have decided that by not responding to this backlash, it is stronger in doing so, and that signing up for a PS account to play a game on PC isn’t so harsh a price for players to pay.
In order to be “For The Players,” PlayStation should be listening to its fanbase. Offering games on Steam while still asking for data as though they were being played onPlayStationis a step over the line for a large proportion of the target audience, but their voices aren’t being acknowledged. It’s also worth noting that PC players are typically far more wary of their cybersecurity and data, which causes further issues. Sony still seems set on releasing future games with a PSN account needed, though it’s hoped that this decision may yet be reversed as happened withHelldivers 2.
