Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered continues controversial requirement on PC

While many fans await the upcoming Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Sony may find themselves at the receiving end of backlash yet again. Despite past controversies, the publisher has chosen to revive the PSN (PlayStation Network) account requirement for the upcoming remaster of Guerilla's acclaimed sci-fi open-world game.

After all that has happened thus far, this is yet another recipe for disaster, especially with the original Horizon Zero Dawn also being delisted. Here is everything to know about the controversy surrounding Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

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Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will require a PSN account to play on PC

PC players are not going to be happy (Image via PlayStation Publishing LLC)

As per the fine print on the official PlayStation Blog post from a few days earlier that announced the arrival of the remaster, PC users will need to have a PSN account to even be able to play the game. Sony already got flamed for this move back when Helldivers 2 debuted on PC and despite the massive backlash from the Steam community, they did not back out until the very end.

Even then, while Helldivers 2 no longer requires PSN, it continues to be unavailable to buy for users from regions where making a PlayStation account is not supported. Pretending as if nothing happened, the recent God of War: Ragnarok PC port also adopted a PSN requirement policy, and Sony seems to be turning a blind eye once more with Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

Even if there was some excuse for an account requirement in the case of an online multiplayer title, there is simply none for a single-player title such as Aloy's First Journey. Unfortunately, that is not the end of it either.

The original Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition is no longer available for purchase individually, on both the Epic Games Store and Steam ahead of the remaster's launch. While the store page for the 2017 game is still up, it has now been replaced by a "Remastered Bundle" which includes the original and an upgrade to the remastered version.

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Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered launches on October 31, 2024, for PC and PS5.