Days after Sony's Helldivers 2 PSN debacle, Ghost of Tsushima's PC release gets delisted and refunded from Steam in over 170 countries [UPDATED]

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The PC port of the fan-favorite action title is no longer for sale on Steam in non-PSN regions.

Ghost of Tsushima
(Image credit: PlayStation Studios)
Recent updates

This article was updated with the new development that Valve — Steam's developer — is now issuing refunds for Ghost of Tsushima preorders made in non-PSN regions, along with evidence that suggests Sony may be behind taking the game down from sale in these countries.

What you need to know

  • The PC release of Ghost of Tsushima: DIRECTOR'S CUT, the definitive version of the award-winning 2020 action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by PlayStation maker Sony, has been delisted from Steam in over 170 countries.
  • This news comes after Helldivers 2, another game published by Sony, was heavily review bombed when Sony tried to reintroduce a PSN account linking requirement despite selling the game in non-PSN regions.
  • Sony reversed its decision, but not before Helldivers 2 was delisted from the same non-PSN countries that Ghost of Tsushima is also now unavailable to purchase in.
  • The news also comes after Sucker Punch announced PSN account linking would only be necessary for users playing the co-op multiplayer mode Legends, and a few days before Ghost of Tsushima's scheduled May 16 launch on Steam.
  • At the time of writing, it's unclear if Sony or Valve — Steam's developer — chose to halt sales of the game in these regions.

One week ago, the popular PC and PS5 co-op shooter Helldivers 2 went into a review bombing uproar when PlayStation publisher Sony announced plans to reintroduce a PlayStation Network (PSN) account linking requirement despite the fact that the game was sold in over 170 countries where PSN isn't available. Though Sony reversed its decision, the game was (and still is) delisted from Steam in those regions — and now, the impending PC release of PlayStation's Ghost of Tsushima has been as well.

SteamDB data shows that earlier on Friday, sales of the port of developer Sucker Punch's award-winning action title were halted in non-PSN countries in an update to its backend. Notably, this news comes after Sucker Punch publicly announced players would only need to link their Steam account to a PSN one for Ghost of Tsushima's co-op multiplayer mode Legends, and also less than week before the PC release's scheduled May 16 launch.

"Just so you are aware, A PSN account is required for Legends online multiplayer mode and to use PlayStation overlay," wrote the studio in reply to someone protesting against PSN account linking requirements. "It is not required to play the singleplayer game."

Additionally, Valve — Steam's creator, developer, and overseer — now appears to be auto-refunding preorders of Ghost of Tsushima made in these regions, as is Steam key seller Green Man Gaming. "You are receiving a refund for a game you pre-purchased — Ghost of Tsushima," reads the notice sent to players. "The publisher is now requiring a secondary account to play portions of this game — and this account cannot be created from your country." 

A confusing development

Jin Sakai, the protagonist of Ghost of Tsushima, overlooks beautiful fields of flowers. (Image credit: PlayStation Studios)

This situation is very confusing, as we've yet to see an officially stated reason why Ghost of Tsushima has been delisted. We also don't know for sure if Sony or Valve is behind the takedown. I'll be sure to update this article if and when we learn more, but until then, we can't do much more than speculate.

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Compared to last week's Helldivers 2 ordeal, this one is significantly different; according to Sucker Punch, having a PSN account is only required for the Legends multiplayer mode, as opposed to Sony's plan for Helldivers that would have forced all players to link one to their Steam. This fact is made very clear on Ghost of Tsushima's Steam page with a pinned and outlined box of text. 

The reasoning given by Valve and other Steam key retailers for cancelled and refunded preorders in non-PSN countries suggest that they don't want to sell the game to customers they know won't be able to access all of its content. And since Ghost of Tsushima's Steam page notices imply Sony is (or was) willing to sell it to players that will only have single player access, I initially thought Valve was responsible for delisting the game.

However, a message sent to a Helldivers 2 fan by Steam Support confirms that Sony was responsible for removing that game from sale, which makes me think it's also behind the takedown of Ghost of Tsushima. Perhaps the PlayStation firm just doesn't want to deal with the fallout that will inevitably come from only giving non-PSN users partial content access.

Again, though, this is all just speculation, and ideally either Sony or Valve will give Steam users some thorough clarification sooner rather than later. If either company does so, I'll share the latest developments here.

Analysis: Please figure this out, man

Overall, this whole situation is a mess, and I really hope Steam and Sony can work together quickly to iron out a solution and let customers know what's going on. I never played Ghost of Tsushima when it first launched on PlayStation in 2020, but I've been looking forward to checking it out with its PC release, and I know there are plenty of other PC gamers out there who feel the same way. I don't think a portion of them should be region locked from having the option to buy it just because of a (clearly stated) PSN requirement for multiplayer, but Sony or Valve might feel differently.

If you happen to live in one of the 69 countries where PSN is supported, Ghost of Tsushima: DIRECTOR'S CUT is still available to preorder on Steam ahead of its May 16 release date. The game costs $59.99, and will feature unlocked framerates, extensive ultrawide support for multiple aspect ratios, and performance-improving technologies like DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3, and XeSS. Like the PS5 release of this version, it will also have Japanese lip sync and support for DualSense controller haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

Ghost of Tsushima: DIRECTOR'S CUT | $59.99 at GMG (Steam)

Ghost of Tsushima: DIRECTOR'S CUT | $59.99 at GMG (Steam)

Draw your blade and defend Tsushima Island from Mongol invasion as a deadly samurai in Ghost of Tsushima, the award-winning action title from PlayStation Studios and developer Sucker Punch. The soon-to-release PC version will feature unlocked framerates, ultrawide support, and performance-enhancing tech like DLSS 3 and AMD FSR.

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Brendan Lowry
Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • fdruid
    My first reaction was thinking Sony are shooting themselves in the foot in their search of their investor-pleasing through artificially raising PSN user nunbers (they seem to like those lies).

    But now I see they really don't care, it doesn't change their numbers even if the people in those 170 countries couldn't play their games at all. Raising the PSN numbers is more important to them.

    What they are underestimating (never forgetting though, because business is calculated risk) is the loss of good will they're creating. People are pissed off, press is rightfully spinning this as negative, etc. And you don't just regain trust from an ambient negative opinion. Look at EA. Heck, look at Microsoft.

    This is a move that shows Sony is desperate in showing expansion and growth. It will be interesting to see what they manage to do in the following years. It looks rough from here.
    Reply
  • dazt6h
    Yes they're doubling down on the shit move they did with Helldivers, the game is still not available for sale still in the 170 countries, I think they even added 3 more to the sell ban, even when the game in it's entirety no longer requires PSN.

    The fact that they're doing the same with Ghost of Tsushima, a game that's mostly single player and doesn't require PSN unless you join the multiplayer is a big screw you to the customers. Although this could still be a Steam decision since they're technically selling an incomplete game to everyone outside the PSN bubble.

    All these big corporations are fighting themselves recently on who is the biggest piece of sh*t.

    I really wanted to own Ghost of Tsushima, since I've never owned a PlayStation, but now I'll have to sail the high seas.

    But hey, the industry is in a "lack of growth", we must close studios with successful releases and block the selling of our games to more than half the globe for the sake of customer data. Ignore the record sales being broken every year including this one, lol.
    Reply
  • fjtorres5591
    Sony doesn't really understand the PC gaming world.
    All they know is the walled garden of Playstation where the gamers submit or...submit.
    PC gamers who won't submit just go elsewhere.
    There's no shortage of good new games to play, anyway.
    A glut, in fact.

    Also note the date they're dropping TSUSHIMA.
    It was already facing an uphill battle and another catfight won't help.
    Reply
  • fjtorres5591
    dazt6h said:
    Yes they're doubling down on the **** move they did with Helldivers, the game is still not available for sale still in the 170 countries, I think they even added 3 more to the sell ban, even when the game in it's entirety no longer requires PSN.

    The fact that they're doing the same with Ghost of Tsushima, a game that's mostly single player and doesn't require PSN unless you join the multiplayer is a big screw you to the customers. Although this could still be a Steam decision since they're technically selling an incomplete game to everyone outside the PSN bubble.

    All these big corporations are fighting themselves recently on who is the biggest piece of sh*t.

    I really wanted to own Ghost of Tsushima, since I've never owned a PlayStation, but now I'll have to sail the high seas.

    But hey, the industry is in a "lack of growth", we must close studios with successful releases and block the selling of our games to more than half the globe for the sake of customer data. Ignore the record sales being broken every year including this one, lol.
    That dig at MS: are you absolutely sure the studios they closed had suc$$e$ful games? Or merely well reviewed by critics and fans of that specific niche?

    Without going too far, remember what happened to DISHONORED 2. Good game the gamers ignored. Price dropped 50% in two months. The DLC got reworked into a standalone half price game. Then staff left and REDFALL happened.

    Only MS really knows what hapened there but it is too easy to cast aspersions blindly without looking at the actual profit and loss data.

    Even Sony isn't totally clueless.

    Remember that, unlike MS with profitable datacenters all over the world for AZURE they can use for PC games, Sony's datacenters are cost centers, not profit centers. Supporting extra countries costs them money. And since their business is P(l)aystation first, controlling access is critical to maintaining their walled garden.

    Regardless of the publisher, MS, SONY, EA, UBISOFT, they need to make a profit to stay in business. Something the snarky games media forgets, probably on purpose since snarky headlines make for good click bait.
    Reply
  • fdruid
    fjtorres5591 said:
    Only MS really knows what hapened there but it is too easy to cast aspersions blindly without looking at the actual profit and loss data.

    This. I've been saying this to everyone who has a knee jerk, overemotional reaction to the recent closures. Only MS knows the real numbers and the real reasons, and as much as woke journos would rather spin another story of big bad corporations crushin creative dreams of the little people, the truth will be something different.
    As far as we know, this could have been like severing a gangrenous limb so the patient can survive.

    Those studios weren't doing well at all. We don't know how much money and time they put into those titles.

    And last but not less important: everyone loved to point Redfall's failure and throw the game under the bus. The game wasn't that bad but people are trigger happy with their negativity and write off people's years of work to the trash like an afterthought. Well this is the result. You can't be both contributing to the destruction of a mid game by reproducing an ambient negative talk (like happened with some many games that deserved better, like Evolve!) and then lamenting about the closure of its studio.
    Reply