The excitement for the PC port of God of War Ragnarök was palpable ever since the reboot of the God of War series made its way to PC in 2022. Fans eagerly anticipated continuing the saga of Kratos and Atreus, battling gods and monsters in their mission to prevent Ragnarök. The game features a strategic combat system, intricate puzzles, and a compelling story that promised to captivate both new and returning players.
Despite the initial hype and praise for its narrative and gameplay, God of War Ragnarök has encountered a storm of criticism. Currently, only 67 percent of the 2,600 reviews on Steam are positive, a stark contrast to its predecessor, God of War 2018, which boasts an “extremely positive” rating with 96 percent approval from over 90,000 reviews. The primary issue drawing ire from players is the mandatory creation of a PlayStation Network (PSN) account for a single-player game. This has sparked significant backlash on platforms such as Reddit, where users question the necessity of an online account for a game that offers no online multiplayer component. Concerns over security have also been raised.
This requirement isn’t entirely unexpected from PlayStation. Previous titles like Ghost of Tsushima and Helldivers 2 also mandated PSN accounts for PC players. Interestingly, after receiving similar backlash, Sony reversed the account requirement for Helldivers 2. This raises the question of whether they might do the same for God of War Ragnarök, but so far, Sony remains steadfast in their decision.
The dissatisfaction with the PSN account requirement seems to be reflected in the game’s player numbers, which are falling short of expectations. As per Steam DB, God of War Ragnarök has peaked at around 25,000 players, significantly lower than the 73,000 peak players for its predecessor. This discrepancy might push Sony to reconsider their stance in response to the community’s discontent.
For many gamers, the release of God of War Ragnarök on PC carried a promise of unparalleled storytelling and engaging gameplay. However, this promise has been overshadowed by the controversial account requirement, leaving fans to wonder if they will soon see a change that aligns more closely with their expectations.
