Hooray! PSN accounts will no longer be a necessary evil for all of us who want to play previously PlayStation-exclusive games via Steam. Sony has been heavily criticised for forcing users to log in via the PlayStation Network to experience titles like God of War: Ragnarök and Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered. But now they are backing down.
PSN will no longer be mandatory, but instead will offer various incentives to entice players to log in. This takes the form of cosmetic items in some of the games, such as Armor of the Black Bear for Kratos in Ragnarök, or Spider-Man 2099 Black Suit in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
The games affected, and where PSN will no longer be required, are: Marvel's Spider-Man 2, God of War: Ragnarök, The Last of Us: Part II Remastered, and Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered. On the PS Blog they write:
"Starting with tomorrow's release of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for PC, we're working to add more benefits to playing with an account for PlayStation Network. The Last of Us Part II Remastered (coming April 3, 2025), in addition to God of War Ragnarök and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, will all soon be adding in-game content unlocks for PlayStation Network account users. An account for PlayStation Network will become optional for these titles on PC. Players who still opt to sign into a PlayStation Network account will also enjoy added benefits like trophies and friend management."
However, in the unlikely event you want to log in with PSN via Steam, the rewards in the various games are as follows:
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
God of War: Ragnarök
The Last of Us: Part II Remastered
Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered
What do you think about this, is it good or bad that Sony removed the PSN requirement?