Upcoming Sony-Published Game Drops PSN Requirement on PC

Summary

• Lost Soul Aside's PC version has dropped the controversial PSN account linking requirement before its 2025 launch.
• This significantly expands the game's market reach and sales potential, allowing Sony to sell it in regions unsupported by PSN.
• This decision may signal a more flexible approach from Sony regarding PSN linking for future PlayStation PC releases.

New evidence confirms that the upcoming Sony-published game, Lost Soul Aside, will launch on PC without requiring a PlayStation Network account. This eliminates the PSN linking hurdle for PC players and vastly increases the game's potential market, as it will now be sold in regions not supported by PSN.

Lost Soul Aside, a highly anticipated indie title from PlayStation's China Hero Project, is a hack-and-slash action RPG inspired by Devil May Cry, emphasizing dynamic combat. Developed by Shanghai's UltiZeroGames over nearly nine years, it's being published by Sony on PS5 and PC. However, Sony's previous mandate of mandatory PSN account linking for PC PlayStation games drew significant criticism.

PSN's lack of support in over 100 countries limited the sales and reach of PC games requiring account linking. Lost Soul Aside breaks this trend. Following the December 2024 gameplay trailer, the game's Steam page initially listed the PSN requirement, but this was removed the next day, as confirmed by SteamDB update history.

Lost Soul Aside: The Second Sony-Published Game to Drop PSN Account Linking on PC

This is welcome news for PC gamers in regions without PSN support. It's also a significant development for PlayStation's PC strategy. Previously, only Helldivers 2 saw Sony reverse a similar PSN linking requirement. Following the Helldivers 2 controversy, PSN linking was presumed mandatory, but Lost Soul Aside's exemption suggests a more nuanced approach from Sony.

While Sony's reasoning remains unclear, the likely motivation is maximizing player reach and sales. Previous PlayStation PC releases, hampered by PSN linking, saw reduced player numbers—God of War Ragnarök achieved less than half the Steam player count of its predecessor.