Sony's New PC Game No Longer Requires PSN Account

Summary

• Lost Soul Aside's PC version has seemingly removed the controversial PSN account linking requirement ahead of its 2025 launch.
• This will allow publisher Sony to sell Lost Soul Aside in countries that aren't supported by PSN, boosting the game's overall reach and sales potential.
• Sony's decision to drop the PSN account linking rule for Lost Soul Aside may hint at a more flexible approach for PlayStation's PC games going forward.

Exciting news for fans of Lost Soul Aside, the much-anticipated indie game born from PlayStation's China Hero Project. It appears that the game's PC version, set to launch in 2025, will no longer require players to link a PlayStation Network (PSN) account. This significant change not only enhances the gaming experience for PC users but also opens up new markets for Sony, allowing the game to be sold in over 100 countries where PSN is not supported.

Lost Soul Aside, developed by the Shanghai-based studio UltiZeroGames, has been in the works for nearly nine years. This hack and slash action RPG, drawing inspiration from Devil May Cry and focusing on dynamic combat, has garnered a dedicated following. Sony, the game's publisher, has been behind its funding and will bring Lost Soul Aside to both PS5 and PC. However, last year's introduction of mandatory PSN account linking for PlayStation games on PC sparked considerable backlash from the gaming community.

The decision to remove the PSN account linking requirement from Lost Soul Aside's PC version came shortly after the game's latest gameplay trailer was released in December 2024. Initially, the game's Steam page indicated that a PSN account would be necessary, but a quick update to its SteamDB history revealed the mandate's removal the very next day.

This move marks the second time Sony has reconsidered the PSN account linking requirement for a PC game, following the controversy surrounding Helldivers 2. The decision is a welcome relief for PC gamers, particularly those in regions without PSN support, who eagerly await Lost Soul Aside's release. It also suggests that Sony may be adopting a more flexible stance regarding PSN account linking for its PC titles.

While the exact reasons for this change remain unclear, speculation points to Sony's desire to maximize Lost Soul Aside's player base. The performance of PlayStation games on PC has been less than stellar since the PSN linking mandate, with God of War Ragnarok, for example, seeing significantly lower player counts on Steam compared to its predecessor. By dropping the PSN requirement for Lost Soul Aside, Sony aims to broaden the game's appeal and ensure its success on the PC platform.