Posted May 05, 2024
high rated
Some context. When Helldivers 2 first launched on Steam, Sony's user agreement stated a PlayStation Network account was required in order to play. Linking a PSN account was not possible at launch, however, allowing players to play the game without one. After initial technical difficulties, developer Arrowhead eventually got around to enabling PSN accounts for the game on PC, and Sony is now mandating either that an existing account be linked or a new account be created to continue playing the game.
Because PSN is operated regionally, with only select countries having their own local networks, Steam users in countries without PSN access have no means of creating a legitimate account (besides faking their location), meaning they are by default in violation of the game's terms. As a result, the game has now been removed from Steam entirely in any country without its own PSN region.
I thought this was interesting and somewhat contradictory in the context of Sony's ongoing endeavour to bring many of its first-party titles here to GOG DRM-free (for the most part). Helldivers 2 is of course a multiplayer GaaS game - perhaps Sony regards this as fair game to stipulate PSN registration - but it demonstrates a recent eagerness to strongarm PC users into using its console ecosystem where possible.
What might this mean for future releases of Sony titles on GOG? Until now I was fairly hopeful that the likes of Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal, Horizon Forbidden West etc might yet arrive here, but if Sony's motivation in the PC space is now ultimately to boost its active PSN users and incorporate PC gamers into its ecosystem, it has little to gain from GOG.
Because PSN is operated regionally, with only select countries having their own local networks, Steam users in countries without PSN access have no means of creating a legitimate account (besides faking their location), meaning they are by default in violation of the game's terms. As a result, the game has now been removed from Steam entirely in any country without its own PSN region.
I thought this was interesting and somewhat contradictory in the context of Sony's ongoing endeavour to bring many of its first-party titles here to GOG DRM-free (for the most part). Helldivers 2 is of course a multiplayer GaaS game - perhaps Sony regards this as fair game to stipulate PSN registration - but it demonstrates a recent eagerness to strongarm PC users into using its console ecosystem where possible.
What might this mean for future releases of Sony titles on GOG? Until now I was fairly hopeful that the likes of Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal, Horizon Forbidden West etc might yet arrive here, but if Sony's motivation in the PC space is now ultimately to boost its active PSN users and incorporate PC gamers into its ecosystem, it has little to gain from GOG.
Post edited May 05, 2024 by fionnula