The Last of Us Part II Remastered's PC release on April 3rd, 2025, necessitates a PlayStation Network (PSN) account, sparking controversy among potential players. This requirement, mirroring Sony's approach with previous PC ports of PlayStation exclusives, has drawn criticism. While bringing the acclaimed sequel to PC is a positive step, the PSN mandate dampens enthusiasm for some.
The Steam page explicitly states the PSN account necessity, allowing players to link existing accounts. This detail, easily overlooked, is a point of contention, echoing negative reactions to similar requirements in past PC ports. The strong backlash against a similar requirement in Helldivers 2 last year, leading Sony to remove it, highlights the potential for negative player response.
Sony's reasoning remains unclear. While PSN accounts are justifiable for multiplayer features (as seen in Ghost of Tsushima's PC port), The Last of Us Part II is single-player. The requirement appears aimed at encouraging PSN adoption among PC gamers, a commercially understandable but potentially risky strategy given past negative feedback.
While a basic PSN account is free, the added step of account creation or linking presents an inconvenience. Furthermore, PSN's unavailability in certain regions renders the game inaccessible to some fans, clashing with the accessibility focus of the Last of Us franchise. This limitation is likely to further fuel negative sentiment.
