Someway, Sony continues to make selections across the PlayStation Community’s PC presence that nobody might clarify, and I doubt the writer might even justify. However right here we’re, months on from the Helldivers 2 catastrophe, when Sony executives awoke at some point and determined to implement the PlayStation Community linking requirement within the co-op shooter.
Even then, that might’ve been the top of it. Positive, many would’ve complained, however needing yet one more account or launcher to play a sport you paid for has turn into such a norm on PC that almost all would’ve simply bitten the bullet and created a free PSN account; satisfying no matter want to juice the numbers Sony had.
Besides, in fact, Sony – seemingly unaware of the restricted attain of its personal service – realised that almost all international locations on the planet aren’t recognised by PSN, which brought on it to take away the sport from sale in all these international locations.
I do know everybody and their canine has poked holes into no matter logic received Sony to make the sport inaccessible in over 170 international locations, however I’ve no selection however to do it once more right here to spotlight simply how asinine that call was, how clumsy it received carried out, how completely sloppy Sony’s dealing with of your complete debacle since has been, and its penalties now in 2025.
From that second on, each single Sony Interactive Leisure launch on PC has been unavailable in these international locations. Most of these video games are strictly single-player, so there’s no want for them to hit a server or require any form of regional help that may necessitate this removing.
In some circumstances, gamers who personal the unique sport had been unable to purchase the sequel and proceed the story. Actually, when Sony launched a remaster of a sport and supplied current house owners a reduction, the bulk could not reap the benefits of that, because the remaster merely wasn’t on sale the place they’re. However maybe probably the most egregious is that, due to the remaster’s existence, the unique sport was itself not on sale.
If you are going to buy a Steam key from someplace, or have one despatched to you – say, by a Sony PR individual since you work in video games media – you can not redeem that key. There you’re, with a key Sony is willingly providing you to play its upcoming PC launch, and there’s nothing you are able to do to get it to work.
However you realize what probably the most irritating a part of all that is? None of it wanted to occur!
No, I’m not speaking about company greed or no matter different cause spurred the unique resolution. I imply the PSN linking requirement might’ve continued to exist, and there would nonetheless be no want for the video games to be inaccessible to so many.
The PlayStation is the default console in many of the world. It’s been that approach because the PS1, and continues to be true right this moment. Nearly all of the international locations that purchase PlayStation consoles, equipment – and crucially, video games, by no means had official PSN help. Actually, {hardware} warranties are sometimes hardly ever supplied in a lot of them.
Within the age of bodily video games, folks merely imported copies from the EU and US. When digital picked up steam and reductions made it attainable to safe higher offers, everybody moved most of their yearly buys to digital. Everybody I do know in Egypt, one such nation Sony shunned, had a UK/US/or some Gulf nation PSN account. They’d purchase PSN playing cards of varied denominations, cost their account stability, and get no matter they wished off the PlayStation Retailer. I used to be completely happy to do the identical, and I even used the identical account I created with my PS3 to play Helldivers 2 on PC final yr! I assure you most of the folks taking part in that sport at launch did the identical precise factor.
So, think about my shock when Sony introduced final week that it’s dropping the PSN linking requirement with some video games, and as a substitute making it non-obligatory. I assumed, absolutely meaning that is the corporate’s approach of saving face because it places these video games again on sale within the dozens of nations they had been beforehand unavailable in.
Nope, all these video games stay inaccessible to me and thousands and thousands of different gamers. I can’t get them on Steam or the Epic Video games Retailer. I can’t even ask Sony for a evaluation key, as a result of as we’ve established, it’s not going to work. I’ve gotten so sick of seeing “This merchandise is presently unavailable in your area” each time I’ve to view the Steam web page of one among Sony’s latest video games.
I might go purchase these video games via the PlayStation Retailer on PS5 proper now and Sony would fortunately take my cash. I’d be utilizing the identical PSN account with the identical very actual UK tackle – the one I’ve been utilizing for over a decade – to do it. Why can’t I do the identical on PC? Why is it attainable to miss no matter perceived regulatory hurdles there are and supply the video games on the console PlayStation Retailer, however not on PC?
