Upcoming Sony-Published Game Drops PSN Requirement on PC

Lost Soul Aside ditches PSN account linking for its PC release

New evidence suggests Lost Soul Aside, a Sony-published action RPG slated for a 2025 PC release, has dropped the controversial PlayStation Network (PSN) account linking requirement. This significant change expands the game's market reach, enabling Sony to sell the title in over 100 countries previously inaccessible due to PSN's limited geographical support.

Lost Soul Aside, a product of PlayStation's China Hero Project, has been in development for nearly nine years by UltiZeroGames. While Sony funds and publishes the game across PS5 and PC platforms, the initial implementation of mandatory PSN account linking for PC titles last year sparked considerable player backlash. This requirement effectively barred sales in numerous regions lacking PSN support.

However, Lost Soul Aside appears to be breaking this trend. Following the December 2024 gameplay trailer release and the game's Steam page launch, the initial mention of a PSN account requirement was swiftly removed from the SteamDB update history.

A Second Instance of PSN Linking Removal

This development offers welcome news for PC gamers in unsupported PSN regions. It also marks only the second time Sony has reversed the PSN linking mandate for a PC game, the first being Helldivers 2. This suggests Sony may be adopting a more flexible approach to PSN linking for its PC releases.

While the reasoning behind this decision remains unclear, it's speculated that maximizing player reach and sales is a key factor. Previous PlayStation PC releases, hampered by the PSN linking requirement, saw significantly reduced player numbers compared to their console counterparts. God of War Ragnarok, for instance, achieved less than half the Steam player count of its predecessor. Lost Soul Aside's decision to forgo PSN linking may signal a shift in Sony's PC game strategy.