Ghost of Tsushima PC Pre-Orders Getting Refunded on Steam, Epic Games Store Over PSN Requirement: Report

Steam and other digital games storefronts are reportedly cancelling pre-orders for the PC port of Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut and refunding players in countries where PlayStation Network is not officially available. The game comes with PSN support on PC and will give players the option to use a new PlayStation overlay that essentially brings the PS5 interface to PC, along with support for Trophies and more. Ghost of Tsushima has reportedly been delisted from storefronts in over 170 non-PSN countries.

The development follows the debacle where Sony made PSN account linking mandatory for Helldivers 2 players on Steam earlier this month. The PlayStation parent walked back the decision after widespread backlash from PC players.

Ghost of Tsushima, which is set to release May 16 on PC, will only require Steam players to link their PSN account for its Legends online multiplayer mode, developer Sucker Punch has confirmed. The single-player campaign can be played without signing up and linking a PSN account.

PC digital storefronts like Steam, Epic Games Store and Green Man Gaming, however, are refunding pre-orders for the game, according to a report from Eurogamer. The refunds are happening in regions where PlayStation Network isn't available, which would prohibit players from accessing the Legends online multiplayer mode in the game.

According to the report, players on Steam who pre-ordered the game and do not have access to PSN are getting a message that says, "You are receiving a refund for a game you pre-purchased - Ghost of Tsushima. The publisher of this game is now requiring a secondary account to play portions of this game - and this account cannot be created from your country." Several pre-orders on Epic Games Store and GMG have also reportedly been refunded.

Sony and Sucker Punch have not yet addressed the situation. The developer has thus far only confirmed that a PSN account is required to play the Ghost of Tsushima's Legends multiplayer mode.

Last week, Sony walked back its decision mandating Helldivers 2 players on Steam to link their PlayStation Network accounts with Valve's storefront after severe backlash. The company had earlier announced that users would need to link their Steam account to their PSN account by the end of May to continue playing Helldivers 2.

Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut is set to release on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on May 16.