Much to the disappointment of many and the surprise of relatively few, it seems that Sony has indeed learned nothing from last May’s “Helldivers 2 PSN” controversy, as it has now confirmed that the upcoming PC version of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II will feature a mandatory PSN account requirement.
Naughty Dog
According to the title’s official Steam page, players will need a third-party PlayStation Network account to access the game, as well as the agreement to the third-party TLoU Part II EULA, which varies by region and can be read in full here. Much like with the aforementioned Helldivers II controversy – where, by the way, the company removed the requirement shortly after, saying they’re “still learning what is best for PC players” – the main concerns regarding the PSN account revolve around having to entrust your data and agree to the terms of service of a third-party company, the fact that PSN isn’t available in 177 countries and territories, and the understandable hesitation many feel about registering additional accounts.
Earlier, Sony President Hiroki Totoki addressed the mandatory inclusion of PSN in PC versions of the company’s games, acknowledging that it could “invite pushback,” but stating that there are no plans to change the approach. Interestingly, Totoki also mentioned back then that account linking is necessary to “maintain order of the gaming so that anybody can enjoy the games safely” in live-service projects, and given that The Last of Us Part II is a single-player game, this raises further questions about Sony’s true intention behind the mandatory PSN requirement.
And what do you think about TLoU 2 requiring PSN? How would it affect the game’s sales on PC? Leave your thoughts down in the comments!
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