Key Takeaways
- Sony company president and CFO Hiroki Totoki has admitted that forcing players to create PSn account to play PlayStation games on Steam has been “inviting pushback” recently.
- However, Totoki has defended the practice, claiming that the PSN requirement is done so players “can enjoy the games safely”.
PlayStation’s recent efforts on PC have been a bit of a mixed bag so far. Helldivers 2 has been a huge success so far, and while none of the platform holder’s first-party offerings have been as successful so far, they’ve been given the chance to grab more sales on a new platform. Unfortunately, most PlayStation releases on Steam right now are released with a bit of backlash attached to them, mostly thanks to the company’s firm stance on PSN account requirements.
Helldivers 2 has undoubtedly seen the most backlash about PSN requirements, having been brutally review bombed over it earlier this year, but both Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and God of War Ragnarok could only launch to Mixed reviews on Steam due to their PSN requirements. It’s likely a pretty big headache for Sony, but company president and CFO Hiroki Totoki is determined to stand firm on the feature.
PlayStation Uses Safety Concerns To Defend Steam PSN Account Requirements
In Sony’s latest financial call (thanks GamesRadar), Totoki discussed what the company has learned from its recent endeavors on PC, and admitted that “offering” players the ability to connect their PSN accounts to play games on Steam “invites pushback”. For those that want Sony to buck up and finally do away with the system, it doesn’t sound as though Totoki is planning that any time soon.
“We have learned a lot,” says Totoki. “The way to face the issues regarding PC, for instance. The PlayStation accounts that we have offered – well actually, by offering them, for instance, sometimes that tends to invite pushback. But for the live service games, in order to maintain order of the gaming so that anybody can enjoy the games safely, we need to create an environment conducive to that and, of course, enjoy the game freely.
To be fair, Totoki has a bit of a point when it comes to safety concerns, as PlayStation will be required to oversee interactions between players in its multiplayer games, but that doesn’t really explain why single-player games force players to create PSN accounts. Most people irked by the system will claim it’s PlayStation trying to artificially boost PSN numbers, and they may well be correct, but Totoki doesn’t seem that bothered about continuing to get the “pushback” he’s describing.
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