When it comes to PC gaming and PlayStation, it really feels like Sony has no idea how to stop smacking itself in the face. The latest headache? The upcoming PC release of Stellar Blade. Fans of the game and PC players have been hyped for this one for a while now. But with the game set to drop in about a month, PlayStation has once again fumbled the ball by tying the release to the PlayStation Network and, in doing so, leaving a pile of potential money and goodwill sitting on the table.
Just like with previous PlayStation ports (Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, God of War Ragnarok), Stellar Blade is tied to PSN, and that’s where things get messy. Sure, Sony has slowly been loosening the grip a bit when it comes to PC, making PSN logins optional instead of required. If you do link your Steam account to a PSN account, you’ll get some bonuses, such as exclusive in-game items or cosmetics. It’s Sony’s version of a “thank you.” Sounds fine, right? Well, not exactly.
For Stellar Blade, if you log into your PSN account, you’ll unlock an exclusive outfit — the Planet Divine Suit (2nd) for Eve. And let’s be real here, outfits in this game are kind of a big deal.
But here’s the kicker: you still need to be in a region where PSN is officially supported to purchase the game. And if you’re not, then the game won’t even be available for purchase. If you live in one of the 100+ regions without PSN access, you won’t be able to purchase the game. Sounds like a bum deal, doesn’t it?
I took a stroll over to the Stellar Blade subreddit, and yeah, it’s already turning into a mess. People are reporting the game being removed from their wishlists or saying it’s flat-out not available for purchase in their area.
And here’s where it gets even more baffling. Over on Twitter, even Shift Up, the actual developers of the game, seem confused. They didn’t require PSN for the game. They have no idea what’s going on either.
The PC version of Stellar Blade does not require a PSN account. May I ask where you live?😱
— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) May 15, 2025
Some are already predicting the game will flop because of the PSN requirement. I don’t think it’ll go that far since plenty of people in PSN-supported regions will still buy it. But the fact that PlayStation is holding games hostage and locking them out of entire markets is just plain dumb.
Oh, and for reference, here’s a list of all the regions that still don’t have access to the PlayStation Network. Go ahead and count them.
This entire situation sucks, and sadly, it keeps happening. Again, PlayStation simply doesn’t have any clue on how to approach putting its games on PC, and we can clearly see that.
Sadly, this can only cause people to pirate the game, and you can bet that once Denuvo (yes, it also has Denuvo) is cracked, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Which will then cause PlayStation to cry, “No one is buying the game,” and add more fuel to the people who keep complaining that porting PlayStation games to PC is a waste.
I wish Sony would just put an end to this mess. Stop using PSN as a roadblock that causes them to leave money on the table and frustrate fans on PC.
Meanwhile, I’m glad to see that Stellar Blade is finally being released on PC, especially since when the game was originally announced as “Project Eve” all those years ago, it was supposed to be released on both PlayStation and PC. That is, until PlayStation decided it would be a much better fit on the PlayStation 5, and then the game was no longer coming to PC.
I already own a copy of Stellar Blade, and we’ve reviewed it for the PS5, but I’ll also get it for PC as I want to support the developers, and being able to play a much better version of the game (fingers crossed) is worthwhile. Sadly, that won’t be the case for everyone unless PlayStation fixes this mess before Stellar Blade PC is released on June 11, 2025.
