Sony Delists Original Horizon Zero Dawn on PC, Forces PSN Requirement for Remaster

Sony’s controversial PlayStation Network requirement for its PC games is once again in the spotlight after the company delisted the original Horizon Zero Dawn on Steam and the Epic Games Store and added the PSN requirement to the upcoming single-player remaster.

Sony’s PSN account requirement for its PC games was thrust into the limelight with the release of Arrowhead’s explosive PC and PS5 co-op shooter Helldivers 2 earlier this year. Helldivers 2 suffered a review bomb campaign on Steam after Sony made PSN accounts mandatory for PC gamers on Valve’s platform (Arrowhead subsequently decided to turn the Steam user review history graph into a cape, which is ready for launch but has yet to release).

Sony eventually backed down and reversed Helldivers 2’s PSN account requirement, but the game remains unavailable to buy in the many countries that lack PSN. And indeed all Sony’s games on PC, even purely single-player ones, now suffer from this problem, which means the recently released God of War Ragnarök and now Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered are unavailable on Steam in over 100 countries.IGN

Sony is really giving it to gamers.😂

Well technically, this is kinda old news in a way. The Epic Horizon: Zero Dawn version was delisted ages ago (when the Remaster was first announced) and the thing is, these journalists are now picking this up. Plus, you can still get the original on GoG. So really, it's not fully delisted on PC. Just Steam & Epic but GoG still has it up for sale.

To be honest, I thought this was already known but it seems the journalist didn't do a good job at it.

Edit: I don't know if GoG version is getting the remaster since GoG doesn't force you to use PSN.

You can still buy and play the original version, it's just that you now have to buy it as part of the Remaster bundle. Still sucks.

Frankly, this is just corporate shenanigans we can do little about. Sony wants people on their ecosystem. Last I heard, Helldivers II still has the same regional restriction despite an uproar that removed the PSN requirement, and they just recently got a big player spike. IIRC, Ghost of Tsushima has the same restriction despite only partial PSN requirement; it was the biggest single player PC launch in Sony's history. God of War: Ragnarok has full PSN requirements, and its launch was okay. Sadly, Sony know exactly what they're doing, and have little reason to change course.

Anyway, I've created my account and tested it by linking to HFW. I'm ready to go.

Hermits need to not purchase it and give Sony the middle finger, but I don't think Hermits are that smart.

Isn't this kind of industry standard? Every big company has a launcher that they force upon you to run one of their games. I guess those other launchers are available in more countries?

@Sushiglutton: Nope.

Run this by me again.... What's the problem?

Please explain a bit more 😅

I can see why they are taking the original down as it stops people from getting the original for cheap then just paying the 10 bucks for the upgrade. So makes sense.

What I don't really get is insisting on the PSN thing and, even worse, pulling the game from sale in a bunch of countries. Surely one of the advantages of bringing their games to the PC is that they can sell to more countries where PS and PSN is not a thing. More sales and more money. But.....nah.

On a generally less serious, but personally irking, note: PSN also causes issues with running games on Linux and the Steam Deck. To Sony's credit: They have actually been very good generally with having their games run on Linux. They don't officially support it but they do put some specific fixes in place from time to time and, up until GOT at least, the games just worked. But now the PSN thing has come in and it's causing major issues. Ragnarök requires a specific command put in so it works on the deck (at least they still implemented that option). But on Linux desktop that limits the player to just using a controller to play. Maybe it's been patched since but really not ideal. I also don't get why PSN is causing an issue. It's not kernel level anti cheat as far as I know. Hopefully Sony and Valve are working on a solution to get that working.

I can only speculate that Sony are planning a PS PC store. I suspect they really don't like coughing up that 30%. That's the only reason I can think of that explains their current approach. Otherwise it's just very strange.

🥱

@Sushiglutton: A launcher is not required by many third party companies.

@osan0: I am with you with the store speculation. This pre-emptive PSN requirement allows for a easier shift in the future to their own store.

Sony gonna Sony. 😆

I think it is by many of the big companies:

Rockstar, EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, CDPR. I don't think it's unreasonable for Sony to be in that list given that they are more a competitor to Valve than the other companies are.

like that game needs a remaster... it already looks good there's no point

Boy, **** Sony, amirite!?

Nah but for real I don't really mind the delisting--no reason to have multiple versions up, I suppose--but the online aspect is what irks me. For starters, what's the point? Second, all they're doing is trying to pad their stats for their investors.

"Oh yes, quarter blah blah blah, earnings might be down BUT WE HAVE ____ AMOUNT OF new users so OUR PRODUCT IS BEING USED! Look at all these users! Om nom nom all these new accounts!"

It is, for lack of a better way to put it, cheating at capitalism.

"Every big company has a launcher that they force upon you to run one of their games." That was your statement it is false. CDPR games can be played without a launcher. Bethesda games can be played without a launcher. EA games can be played without a launcher. You are obviously free to feel it is not unreasonable for Sony to mandate a PSN but it is clear that PC gamers disagree.

I was not aware you could skip those launcher. Thanks for the tip, I will investigate that. Hate those things 🤣

For the players

Companies having been shifting away from mandatory launchers.

For the data harvesting!

Ahhh Sony...the anti-consumer ;)

I see! I was completely wrong then.

the whole psn account thing is the biggest non issue I've ever seen.

It's not just about adding an account, you can't even make a PSN account if your Country isn't on the list. Only 69 are and that's a big deal cause Sony is still losing money over it. Most PC players won't complain about it for XBL and well, if you're on Windows 10/11, you probably have a MS account anyway. PSN mandatory doesn't bother me, so this is a non-issue but for others who can't get PSN, oh well.

If Sony wants to make everyone happy, Sony needs their own client store.

@Zero_epyon: seriously. Have humans gotten so lazy that creating an account and logging into it is really a problem for them?

Enter name

Add email

Create simple password

Done 🙂

A store won't fix the problem if they don't offer those stores in territories they don't operate in. Idk why they don't operate in those countries but I'm sure they have reasons.

Fixed for you!

LMFAO exactly!

Last time I checked MS has this, so does UBISOFT and EA never heard a peep out of the usual suspects about signing in before now.

Shut up and sign into the network of you want to play their games. If not, GOTFO and play your other game options. Simple.

MS doesn't have this for offline games. I know this bad news is hitting you to the core. Instead of being triggered, help Sony sell more of those unsold PS5 Pros.😂

Did anyone manage to buy it off of GOG.com?

As I said above, anyone who has Windows 10/11 would have already had an MS account anyway. That's why you don't hear that many complaints about it as it's optional to be online or not. He sure did skip my post about it😅

I don't give a shit about having accounts. Good lord.

its for trophies and you dont have to pay psn to play the game. just sign in.

sony way to count the players playing the game as well.

Poo cows. lol :P