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I think if Sony want to push this they need to...
Make PSN available at least in all countries that Steam operates in.
Add cross-buy so if you buy a Sony published game for PC you also get it for Playstation and vice-versa.
Does anyone know why psn isn't available in these countries in the first place?
This may be a dumb question and I'm truly not trying to start fanboy nonsense but can anyone explain why this recent push by Sony is different than having to have an Xbox account for Halo MCC or Epic Games account for something like It Takes Two? Is it those are available in more countries? I'm on board with the hate of this type of crap and Sony deserves it but just curious why these last two releases are different than previous publishers and multi account requirements?
Speaking personally. I had the same reaction. I realized I could sign in using my GitHub account for MCC, which was... weird. Since it was just their normal web/auth page you could click around and do it in that tiny little webview. -_- Ridiculous, but I wasn't going to make a new account to play a single player game. I did nearly refund it out of spite, but didn't.
You can't create a PSN account in something like 190 countries and regions, including some European Union member countries, all of Africa except one country, etc.
Gotcha, I had read 118 countries last night but I get that it's a huge amount.
For comparison I found these today:
Epic games is basically available everywhere but Iraq and north Korea
Xbox supported countries seemed to be about 100ish but I think I've heard maybe their ToS wasn't as restrictive.
Nintendo only appears to support a handful of countries for their online accounts but obviously they aren't selling to PC gamers.
I figured amount of countries was a big factor. I'm one of those oblivious selfish bastards who has the accounts for everything above and doesn't have issues so I was curious for those who cannot. Appreciate your response!
It's at least partially because these games have been available on PC in areas where PSN isn't available. So people bought them, not knowing that, eventually, PSN would be required.
What's more, Sony has also removed the game from sale on PC where PSN isn't available. So now some people can't even buy the game on PC anymore. And people who do own the game are left with two choices: violate Sony's own TOS to create a PSN account for a country they don't live in (something that, ironically, some of Sony's own support reps have supposedly suggested) or attempt to refund the game.
It's also worth noting that some countries actually require you to own a PlayStation console to even be able to create a PSN account. You have to create an account via the console. It's not available on a web browser. One country in particular that I've heard this is an issue in is Ukraine.
Ahh, makes sense. More of an anger towards the bait and switch then. I figured this would be the most severe, especially for H2 fans who had already been playing for weeks! Additionally, seems crazy for GoT to have it considering the vast majority is single player.
I wasn't aware you needed a console to create a PSN account in some places, that's nuts.
I'm curious if Sony had properly advertised their account creation requirement much earlier on if people would've accepted. (At least for multiplayer games) I'm some regards, maybe it's better they didn't so gamers could bring this to the forefront more often with publishers in the future.
Appreciate the response!
I'm curious if Sony had properly advertised their account creation requirement much earlier on if people would've accepted.
It's not even that they didn't properly advertise it. It's that they changed the requirements completely. Here's a before and after of one of their FAQ pages:
Ahhh, good find! Yea that's the bait and switch then. I mean I guess I'm callous to publishers requiring accounts within their ecosystem but at least be upfront about it. That's just dirty.
Or their goals are weirder than making customers happy.
This isn't like Microsoft telling whole studios to jump through their ass and bring them a whole new market, on pain of death. Sony has reasons for pushing this shit in the first place - and they've done the math on how much that's worth to them, versus profits and goodwill on PC. Suffice it to say their don't give two shits about goodwill on PC. They'd like the money, but only if it does not threaten their grip on a completely separate platform they own and control and shave for an entire third of its revenue.
Same as every corporation keep doing x until it's just normal and then push the next line.
they learned how not to roll out bullshit.
they will be more subtle about it going forward and we will end up sucking it up and using it anyway.
there is money on the table, they won't leave it there.
I disagree, they learned not to have it, drop it, and re add it months later. What they failed to learn is the problem was also short of some cross play requirements, people on pc don’t want yet another account requirement.
Or it proves that the Helldivers devs knew they had something special and chose to sabotage Sony's bullshit.
I've been waiting for a steam sale to pick up ratchet... Don't even want it anymore. I have PSN. It doesn't require one either. But fuck em. They'll learn one way or the other.
Helldivers 2 is proof the learned nothing. You still can't buy the game in all the countries that you can't make a PSN account.
Of course they did. Don’t change it after release. In the future with a game like this they should make the singleplayer side part of the base game and move the multiplayer to a free “DLC” and just not offer that “DLC” where psn isn’t available if that is going to be a thing.
OBVIOUSLY it would be better to not have that requirement at all.
Not sure what the hell they are thinking. Also wonder how much money was refunded. Doesn’t even get into the number of buyers they are excluding.
how much money was refunded. Doesn’t even get into the number of buyers they are excluding.
The personal data of each player they do coerce into signing into PSN is far more lucrative than said game sales. Sony is into gaming as much as Santa is into manufacturing toys, FFS. 🤦🏽♂️
Except it isn't. On average you can make a couple bucks extra on each person.
But if they don't try to double dip, that's a couple bucks left on the table, and that's worse than death, apparently.
Nevermind that by trying to double dip they lose money in the short run, but if they can push the standard practice towards it even half a step, that's fine.
It's one of the few things corporations seem to be able to see the long view on.
On average... couple bucks... each person
Assuming you're not high as balls, please cite your sources. Additionally, by implying that each individual "person" is not already commodified as a body of data in a collection of similar is woefully naive. I know it's a common desire to weigh in on topics and feel that one's contribution is valid and worthy, but please look into this subject further before pulling sentences like these outta your ass. 🤪
Beyond addressing your actual retort, could you have resisted being rude? "Naive" and idiot emojis?
Not to mention the hypocrisy of "look into it before pulling shit out your ass" when that's exactly what you did, in response to which I commented because I do actually have an idea of the numbers involved.
Lastly, trying to shut someone down by asking for sources without bothering to check them yourself first, to make sure you're not the one incorrectly assuming the facts will back you up... I could throw those first and last sentences of yours right back at you, word for word.
Additionally, by implying that each individual "person" is not already commodified as a body of data in a collection of similar is woefully naive.
Elaborate, this sentence doesn't seem to make sense. Typo?
I'm saying, on average, per person, collecting a bunch of people's data, and putting that data to work, you're not gonna make money hand over fist out of nowhere.
Data mining only brings in the big bucks at scale. At stupid, scale.
Gaining data on a million users will never cover the loss of losing out on a million game sales. The math simply doesn't work that way.
The reason they do it is because they can get away with doing both. Eventually they will get both the game sales, and data.
Losing out on some money now, is inconsequential as they will get ALL the money, later.
That might be an argument to not offer the games on Steam in countries where PSN is available, but I don't know why they'd do the opposite. Those people aren't gonna get the game for the PSN.
The "argument" is to set precedent for denying refunds when they attempt to force users to sign into PSN before playing. Before, the simple fact that this was not made clear at point of purchase is a breach of contract on the part of the seller, and grounds for immediate refund of the improperly described terms of use. 😶
They give that data away to hackers for free almost every year too!