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 has emerged for fans eagerly awaiting the release of Lost Soul Aside, an upcoming Sony-published game. Recent evidence suggests that the PC version of this much-anticipated title will not require a PlayStation Network (PSN) account, a decision that has significant implications for its global accessibility and sales potential.

Developed by the Shanghai-based studio UltiZeroGames under Sony's China Hero Project, Lost Soul Aside is a hack and slash action RPG that draws inspiration from iconic games like Devil May Cry. With a focus on "dynamic combat," this game has been in development for nearly nine years, generating considerable buzz within the gaming community.

Sony, which has been funding the development and will publish Lost Soul Aside on both PS5 and PC, initially mandated PSN account linking for its PC titles, a move that drew significant backlash from PC gamers. This requirement limited the game's availability to over 100 countries not supported by PSN, thereby restricting its market reach and potential player base.

However, a recent update to Lost Soul Aside's Steam page, following the debut of its latest gameplay trailer in December 2024, indicates a shift in Sony's strategy. The initial mention of a required PSN account was quickly removed, as evidenced by the game's SteamDB update history. This change means that Lost Soul Aside will be accessible in regions where PSN is not available, thereby expanding its global reach.

This development marks Lost Soul Aside as the second Sony-published game to drop the PSN account linking requirement on PC, following the controversy surrounding Helldivers 2. The decision to remove this barrier for Lost Soul Aside could signal a more flexible approach by Sony towards its PC titles, suggesting that the company may be reevaluating the necessity of PSN account linking for broader market access.

While the reasons behind Sony's decision remain speculative, it is believed that the company aims to maximize the game's player base. Previous PlayStation games on PC faced challenges in attracting players after the PSN account linking was mandated, as seen with God of War Ragnarok, which saw significantly lower player counts on Steam compared to its predecessor.

This move to remove the PSN requirement for Lost Soul Aside is a welcome development for PC gamers worldwide, particularly those in regions without PSN support, and could herald a new era of accessibility for PlayStation titles on PC.