PlayStation’s PC port strategy has been a proper mixed bag. Helldivers 2 was a colossal success (apart from the PSN fiasco), and Ghost of Tsushima is the biggest single-player PC launch the studio has ever had on Steam. By contrast, games like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Uncharted haven’t made nearly as big an impact. Now, in rolls God of War Ragnarok, and while the launch has done well, it’s not hit nearly the same heights as Sony Santa Monica’s first game in the Norse duology. With complaints about the PlayStation Network (PSN) requirement louder than ever, you might think that’s to blame. The data tells a different story.
Checking the statistics on SteamDB, the original God of War’s Steam peak was around 73,000 mere days after launch. God of War Ragnarok mustered around 35,000 by comparison, six days after launch. As far as PlayStation PC ports go, Ragnarok is still doing well, but it’s down over 50% on its action-adventure game predecessor. For context, Ghost of Tsushima has PlayStation’s biggest single-player PC launch at 77,000.
While the PSN requirement may very well play a part in God Of War Ragnarok’s smaller Steam debut, I don’t think it’s fair to squarely lay the blame there. PlayStation has been ramping up its first-party PC ports over the last four years or so, but not every game has landed as a mega-hit. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart peaked at less than 9,000 Steam players, for example.
Almost all of these PlayStation games retail on Steam and Epic between $50 to $60 (not including Helldivers 2’s $40 price tag), but they don’t appeal to the market in the same way they do on console. To top that off, these PlayStation PC ports come out years after they do on PS4/PS5, so selling them again at full price is bound to turn some people away at launch who’d rather wait for a sale.
If you want a closer example, look no further than the Horizon series. Horizon Zero Dawn debuted at $50 on Steam and had a peak of 56,000 players. While the sequel Horizon Forbidden West debuted at $60 and peaked at 40,000 players. Sequels don’t always do better, especially if they cost more.
This isn’t the first time a PlayStation-published PC game has been hit with complaints over PSN account linking, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Players review bombed Helldivers 2 into oblivion after Sony announced a required PSN link after launch, only for the publisher to then walk this back. Before reversing the decision there was concern that PlayStation’s own solution would get you banned as well, for going against terms of service.
In God of War Ragnarok’s case, a popular mod quickly appeared to help you circumnavigate the PSN requirement. As of publication, however, the tool has already been removed from Nexus Mods, but it’s not clear if that’s due to the platform itself or PlayStation. Ghost of Tsushima’s PC port also required a PSN account, but only for the online Legends game mode.
If the conclusion to Kratos and Atreus’ Norse story has you wanting more, we’ve got all the best Viking games and story games you should be playing on PC right now.
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