With the Horizon Zero Dawn remake set to release soon, Sony has chosen to include the open-world action game in a list of games that have eluded millions of players in more than 170 countries around the world.
The reason, of course, is the PlayStation Network account requirement, which the original PC version of Horizon Zero Dawn didn’t have. question? You can no longer purchase the 2020 version.
iGamesNews
Players noticed via ResetEra that Sony has removed the ability to purchase Horizon Zero Dawn on Steam and the Epic Games Store in preparation for the remake’s release on October 31st. While the game page on Steam will still exist, you will no longer find the “Add to Cart” button.
Anyone who wants to play Horizon Zero Dawn on PC must pre-order Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered now (assuming they don’t already have the 2020 version). Among some enhancements such as re-recorded dialogue and updated animations, a key point is the remaster’s PlayStation Network account requirement.
PSN is a service that’s only officially available in a handful of countries, meaning the remaster is currently unavailable for purchase in over 170 countries. This is the same list of countries that were recently unable to purchase God of War Ragnarok or the previous Ghost of Tsushima director’s cut.
You may remember Helldivers 2 as the first game to be affected by requiring a PSN login. Sony also enforced this rule just weeks after the game’s release, causing a bit of a PR disaster for a company that seemed intent on making games on PC.
This has since become a requirement for every future game Sony releases on PC, including, of course, the upcoming Horizon Zero Dawn remaster. Interestingly, the lack of official PSN support hasn’t stopped players in these countries from buying and playing Sony games, whether on PC or on any PlayStation console.
Preventing people from spending money to buy PlayStation games has a huge impact on gamers in regions where PlayStation is dominant. For example, much of the Middle East has historically been aligned with PlayStation, and this popularity is a major reason why the Sony console brand continues to remain viable outside of the United States and Europe.
PlayStation Network accounts were never available in those places either; people just created US/UK/Japan accounts, bought prepaid cards for online purchases, or just got addicted to physical games.
It goes without saying that locking out millions of players is the opposite of expanding PlayStation’s audience. It’s truly incredible that Sony felt the need to do this in the first place. All these players could have continued to use their existing UK/US/Japan accounts and enjoy the company’s games, but now they have lost that ability.
