Sony partially pulls back on account linking requirement for PC gamesSony partially pulls back on account linking requirement for PC games

Sony is reducing the number of its PC ports that will require a PlayStation Network account to play.

Those accounts will now be optional for four specific PC titles: Marvel's Spider-Man 2, the upcoming Last of Us Part II Remastered, and the already-released God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. Sony is incentivizing players to keep linking their accounts by offering trophy support, unique in-game skins, and other benefits for the individual games.

Last year, Sony made account linking a requirement for its PC ports, beginning with Arrowhead Studios' Helldivers II. At the time, it said players would have to merge a pre-existing or new PlayStation Network account with their Steam ones, and the subsequent outcry led to Sony reversing the mandate. Players also resorted to creating a (now removed) mod to circumvent the account requirement for Ragnarok's Steam version.

Players have criticized Sony for its requirement partly because PlayStation Network is not available in every country Steam operates in. Today's announcement seems to better accommodate players in those regions.

At the moment, Sony has not revealed if it will loosen the account linking requirement for other games. It states its current plan is to let its first-party studios "continue working on bringing more benefits to players who sign up for a PlayStation Network account."