Ghost of Tsushima ‘s upcoming PC port has reportedly been delisted from some storefronts in several countries that aren’t covered by PlayStation Network.
The surprise move comes exactly one week before Ghost of Tsushima’s long-awaited release on PC, which is slated for May 16.
Recently, Helldivers 2 was under fire for announcing a new rule that required PC players to connect a PSN account to their Steam accounts. The move was met with harsh backlash, and Sony eventually waived the mandate. The PC community’s focus then shifted to the impending port of Ghost of Tsushima, wondering if Sony would enforce the same rule for it. Sure enough, developer Sucker Punch confirmed that Ghost of Tsushima will require a PSN account on PC, but only for the multiplayer Legends mode.
Just like the Helldivers 2 controversy, this raised concerns about players in regions without PSN coverage.
As it appears, Ghost of Tsushima has been removed from PC storefronts in many of those regions. A Reddit user shared a screenshot of an email they received from game key seller Green Man Gaming, which stated the removal of Ghost of Tsushima from the specific regional storefront of the user. The email cites the PSN account requirement as the reason behind the game’s eviction, and that the user’s region is “restricted from creating a PSN account.” The measure is likely to protect buyers from ToS violations, which recently led to worries over bans among some Helldivers 2 players using PSN account workarounds.
So I guess Sony is going after other games as well
byu/freakshow9009 inLinusTechTips
The Decision to Remove Ghost of Tsushima Might have Been Sony’s
The email also confirms that “all customers” residing in regions unsupported by PSN will be refunded for their preorders, and that the situation is beyond the company’s control, thereby implying Sony may be pulling the strings here. This mirrors a recent situation where Helldivers 2 was delisted from Steam in 177 regions, all of which lacked PSN support. Sony could be doing the same with Ghost of Tsushima to ensure players in certain regions aren’t locked out of their purchase, as they won’t be able to make a PSN account for the Legends mode, thereby barring them from a portion of the game.
However, a potential exclusion of 177 regions worldwide could massively impact Ghost of Tsushima’s sales and reach on PC. Moreover, PC players heavily review bombed Helldivers 2 to express their dissatisfaction with the rule, so it’s doubtful that they’ll take kindly to Sony pulling the same maneuver with Ghost of Tsushima.
It’s currently unknown why Sony is so adamant on the requirement, but many speculate that it’s an effort to increase the Monthly Active User count for PSN. Whatever the reason may be, Ghost of Tsushima’s PC port might just be an unfortunate casualty of it.
