When Ghost of Tsushima launches on PC tomorrow, you won't need a PlayStation Network account to play the game on Singleplayer. But if you want to play Legends, which is a multiplayer mode that includes online, cross-play of the game, you will need 1. However, there is a question as to whether it will be needed permanently, as port developer Nixxes has revealed that it will launch the mode with a "beta" label.

As Eurogamer reported, when Nixxes shared the game's system requirements last year, they simply stated that players "need to sign in to their PlayStation Network account to access Legends mode." However, an update to this post, published on 5/14, states that "At launch, crossplay in Legend Mode will be in beta."

Added "When you invite a friend to start a game session on PlayStation Network, cross-play between PS4, PS5, and PC is supported". So players can use the cross-play feature, but it's not automatic.

This is an interesting change given the recent uproar over Sony's attempts to revive the PC/PSN integration of Helldivers2, which was abandoned at launch, as developer Arrowhead focused on bolstering servers to keep up with the game's hugely popular launch. Sony's sudden decision to revive this requirement caused a huge backlash that saw the Helldivers2 review bombing on Steam, and the publisher eventually put the policy back on for a second time.

In the meantime, the fiasco caught the attention of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch, rushing to clarify that PSN accounts are only needed for multiplayer, not single-player, but this did not stop Psn from delisting the game in more than 200 countries where Psn is not available.

The timing of the addition of the "beta" tag is interesting because all this swirls in the background like a cloud of cherry blossoms. The cross-play feature is not entirely stable and may require more work, but Nixxes would have known this well before. Another possibility is that nixxes wants to reassure PC players that the current status of the cross-play mode is temporary, and that it will probably remove that PSN requirement in the future.

In Helldivers2, it is clear that PC gamers do not want PSN integration, and Sony has brought PSN trophies and friends to the PC, while Tsushima Ghost only needs PSN integration for multiplayer, indicating that the game does not need it to facilitate cross-play. During the Helldivers2 fiasco, Sony said it was "still learning what's best for PC players," and that its pc games included a variety of PlayStation features, so it's entirely possible there's a policy shift going on behind the scenes. Either way, there's a better idea of what the cross-play "beta" label means when the Ghost of Tsushima hits PC tomorrow.