God of War Ragnarok's PC launch on Steam has been met with a mixed reception, largely due to Sony's controversial PSN account requirement. Players are reportedly review-bombing the game in protest.
Steam User Reviews Mixed: Backlash Over PSN
The game currently holds a 6/10 user score on Steam, a direct result of negative reviews targeting Sony's decision to mandate a PSN account for playing the single-player title. This requirement, announced prior to launch, has angered many fans.
While some users report negative experiences related to the PSN integration, including game crashes and inaccurate playtime tracking, others claim they played the game without issue. One player stated, "The PSN requirement is frustrating, but I played through without logging in. It's a shame the negative reviews might deter others from experiencing this great game." Another review highlights technical issues: "The PSN requirement ruined the experience. The game crashed to a black screen after login, yet it registered 1 hour 40 minutes of playtime – absurd!"
Despite the negative reviews, many positive comments praise the game's quality, attributing the negative scores solely to Sony's policy. A positive review reads, "The story is fantastic, as expected. The negative reviews are almost entirely about the PSN requirement. Sony needs to reconsider this policy; otherwise, the PC port is excellent."
This situation mirrors the controversy surrounding Helldivers 2, where a similar PSN requirement led to a significant backlash and Sony's eventual reversal of the policy. Whether Sony will respond similarly to the God of War Ragnarok situation remains to be seen.