Almost a couple of years after its original PS5 release, Sony’s God of War Ragnarok PC port is finally here and it’s getting review bombed by angry gamers on Steam. At the time of writing, it sits on a “mixed” 65% user rating. The reason behind this? While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the deity-bashing sequel, Sony’s recent policy of requiring a PlayStation Network account to access its PC titles isn’t going down too well.
Given that God of War Ragnarok is a singleplayer-only game, many are questioning why a PSN sign-up is required as there’s no essential online or multiplayer component. There are also concerns that Steam users in parts of the world where PSN isn’t available simply won’t be able to witness the end of Kratos’s saga despite having purchased and played the original game on PC.
So, why is Sony pushing this requirement so hard? The likely answer is that with so many of its cherished first party games popping up on PC, its looking to draw this player base into its wider PlayStation ecosystem – something the company will no doubt utilise as it introduces new hardware and gaming services further down the line.
Still, the PSN signup requirement is a hurdle some die-hard PC players aren’t willing to navigate. It doesn’t help that Sony negatively impacted the reputation of its celebrated bug hunting shooter, Helldivers 2, by implementing its controversial policy post-launch earlier this year. Players who had already purchased the game were hit with a warning that they needed to obtain a PlayStation Network account to continue playing.
As the company continues to convert its coveted exclusives for PC, it will be interesting to see whether this furore dies down over time. The review bombing casts a dark albeit small cloud over what is one of the strongest open world action games of the current console generation.
In our God of War Ragnarok review, we said, “Kratos has come a long way since first flinging himself into the Aegean all those years ago.God of
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