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. After a weekend of backlash, Sony reversed the policy— Helldivers 2 players might be safe from this, but it seems like this will still be implemented in future Sony-published games on Steam, as evidenced by Ghost of Tsushima.
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. What’s unclear at this moment is if Ghost of Tsushima will follow suit or if Sony will make it a requirement from the outset rather than adding it months later like Helldivers 2 tried to. The backlash was largely because this requirement was added after the fact, and after players flocked to the game for months. However, the PSN requirement also excludes players in parts of the world that can’t make accounts for PlayStation’s online services, and Helldivers 2 has been sold in those territories. So for some players, it’s a lot more complicated than just linking one account to another.
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.