Sony Game Goes PC-Only, Drops PSN

Summary

• Lost Soul Aside's PC version has dropped the controversial PSN account linking requirement before its 2025 release.
• This significantly expands the game's market reach and sales potential, as it removes restrictions in over 100 countries unsupported by PSN.
• Sony's decision suggests a potential shift towards more flexible policies for its PC game releases.

New evidence confirms that the upcoming Sony-published game, Lost Soul Aside, will not require PlayStation Network account linking for PC players. This eliminates a major hurdle for PC gamers and significantly increases the game's potential market reach. The action RPG, developed by Shanghai-based UltiZeroGames, has been in development for nearly nine years as part of PlayStation's China Hero Project. Sony, the publisher, will release the game on PS5 and PC in 2025. The removal of the PSN requirement is particularly notable given Sony's previous implementation of mandatory PSN linking for its PC games, a move that faced considerable backlash.

Over 100 countries lack PSN support, severely limiting the sales and player base of PC games requiring PSN accounts. Lost Soul Aside, however, appears to be an exception. Following the December 2024 gameplay trailer, the game's Steam page initially listed the PSN requirement, but this was quickly removed the following day, according to SteamDB update history.

Lost Soul Aside: Second Sony PC Game to Drop PSN Linking Requirement

This change is welcome news for PC gamers in regions without PSN access. It also represents a significant shift in Sony's approach to PC game releases. The only other precedent for this was Helldivers 2, suggesting that Sony's policy on PSN linking for PC games may be more flexible than previously thought.

While the reasons for this decision remain unclear, it's speculated that Sony aims to maximize Lost Soul Aside's player base. The poor performance of previous PlayStation PC games after the PSN linking mandate, such as God of War Ragnarök's significantly reduced Steam player count compared to its predecessor, may have influenced this change.