The Last of Us Part II Remastered's PC release on April 3, 2025, necessitates a PlayStation Network (PSN) account, sparking controversy among potential players. This requirement, also present in previous PC ports of PlayStation exclusives, forces players to create or link a PSN account, regardless of the game's single-player nature.
While Sony's efforts to bring popular titles like The Last of Us Part II to PC are appreciated, the PSN requirement is a contentious issue. The Steam page explicitly states this necessity, allowing players to link existing PSN accounts. Past backlash against similar requirements, notably resulting in Sony's removal of the PSN requirement from Helldivers 2, highlights the potential for negative user reaction.
While PSN account requirements are justifiable for multiplayer features or overlay access (as seen in Ghost of Tsushima's PC port), their inclusion in a single-player title like The Last of Us Part II is perplexing. This likely reflects Sony's strategy to expand PSN user base, a commercially sound decision, but one that risks alienating PC gamers.
The free nature of a basic PSN account doesn't negate the inconvenience of creating or linking an additional profile. Furthermore, PSN's global unavailability creates accessibility barriers, contradicting the Last of Us franchise's reputation for inclusivity. This requirement might thus prove a significant deterrent for some players.
