Sony Comments on Steam PlayStation Account Controversy

Summary

Sony acknowledges pushback but will maintain the PlayStation Network account requirement for PC ports.
The requirement aims to uphold order and safety in online play for PlayStation fans on PC.

Sony president and CFO Hiroki Totoki commented on the controversy surrounding the company's push to require a PlayStation Network account for its PC ports on Steam. This requirement caused a lot of frustration and resentment towards Sony in the Helldivers 2 community earlier this year, and the release of God of War Ragnarok on Steam also raised some pushback from fans wanting to enjoy the title without logging in.

Sony continued its push on PC with various game releases throughout 2024, including a day-and-date launch for Helldivers 2 and ports of God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition. It appears that 2025 will follow a similar release pattern with the launch of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on Steam in January, and PC gamers have more PlayStation titles to play than ever before. However, the company's push for PlayStation Network account linking in its PC ports led to some controversy regarding Helldivers 2, with some fans blaming the company's decision for the game's decrease in active Steam players over time. Many believe the account link requirement is cumbersome, and the Sony president shared his thoughts on the community's pushback during the company's Q&A portion of its latest financial call.

Sony Reveals PS5 Console Sales Numbers November 2024

Sony Reveals Updated PS5 Console Sales Numbers

Sony is sharing the total number of PlayStation 5 consoles shipped around the world four years after the hardware's initial release.

Posts 1

By Carley Garcia

As reported by GamesRadar+, Totoki discussed that Sony has "learned a lot" about the community's pushback toward the PlayStation Network account requirement and how issues may arise on PC. However, Totoki notes that the requirement "helps maintain order" in live service games and lets PlayStation fans enjoy games in a safe online environment on PC. As a result, Sony will "continue to seek the best way" to promote a safe environment, and the account link requirement will remain a cornerstone for this strategy.

Sony President Hiroki Totoki Comments on PlayStation Network Account Requirement and Community Pushback

Sony "learned a lot" about the community's pushback toward the account link requirement.
The requirement will continue to exist on PlayStation's PC ports to maintain order and a safe online environment.

Totoki's comments make it clear that PlayStation Network accounts will continue to be required in Sony's upcoming PC ports, including Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on Steam, regardless of criticism from players. At the very least, PlayStation fans on PC can expect the same in-game features found on the PS5 versions, including full DualSense compatibility and the ability to earn trophies.

During the same Q&A session, Totoki commented on the failure of Concord, stating that the company is still analyzing what went wrong with the new IP from the shuttered Firewalk Studios. The Sony president admitted that Concord did not have enough user testing and other forms of evaluation during development, and the company's "siloed" organizational structure may have contributed to the game's failure.

Image

PlayStation 5 Pro

Display card main info widget

Brand: Sony PlayStation
Storage: 2TB SSD
VR Support: PlayStation VR2
Resolution: Up to 8K
App Store: PlayStation Store
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 7

Display card main info widget end

With the PlayStation®5 Pro console, the world’s greatest game creators can enhance their games with incredible features like advanced ray tracing, super sharp image clarity for your 4K TV, and high frame rate gameplay. That means you get to play PS5® games with the most impressive visuals ever possible on a PlayStation® console.

PS5® Pro is an all-digital console with no disc drive. Sign into your account for PlayStation™Network and go to PlayStation™Store to buy and download games. You can also add a Disc Drive to your PS5® Pro console if you would like to play PS5 or PS4 games on Blu-ray™ Disc, or if you want to watch movies and shows on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Discs, Blu-ray™ Discs, and DVDs.

Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info