The launching of PSN titles in territories without PSN support may lead to consequences, like boosting piracy of AAA titles.
Itching to play the Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut? You’re probably shocked that the game isn’t available on Steam right now. This is being linked to a controversy involving the PlayStation Network.
The PSN Controversy
The PSN controversy erupted this month and it probably started when the players review bombed Helldivers 2. Sony wanted to reintroduce something that was canceled before – the use of a PSN account for the co-op shooter title.
Weirdly, the company sold the game in areas that aren’t supported by the PlayStation Network. Helldivers 2 was delisted for a time. But this round ended with the reversal of the decision – a win for players.
The next game subjected to this is the Ghost of Tsushima. Players must link their PSN account to access the Legends co-op gaming mode. The game was also removed from Steam as result of the issue.
Now, the Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut has returned but for limited territories only. According to a report, it’s back online in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
You can actually check the game on Steam wherever you are. Just use a VPN extension on your browser to view the platform’s website in the US. There, you’ll see that the title is indeed re-listed.
Will the Ghost of Tsushima arrive in PH?
Unfortunately, the Ghost of Tsushima isn’t coming to PH soon considering the current state of things. If you check Steam, the only thing you’ll see is an error and a message telling you that the title isn’t available in the region.
The primary reason is the lack of PSN support in the country. But before, we did have access by piggybacking on another region.
According to a Redditor, that method was available during the mid 2000s where the service would tell you that if you live in PH, you should select Hong Kong as the country of residence. It disappeared a few years later.
They speculated that it could be due to the HK store having problems with PH credit cards. Sony had to choose to sustain PH but perhaps the company didn’t see it as a major market.
However, another Redditor shed some light into the matter. The situation involved the Securities and Exchange Commission, well, its requirements specifically. Sony must have a license before it could put the Philippines under the list of countries supported by the Sony Entertainment Network. Otherwise, the company could be sued.
SEC naturally provided Sony with the requirements but since PH wasn’t a part of SEN before, there’s no need to bother at all.
Bolstering Piracy?
The decision of Sony to lock out some regions, including the Philippines, may lead to consequences. Sure, PH is a minor market in Sony’s playground but the demand for PSN may just bolster piracy.
There are a lot of individuals who can repack AAA titles so those who don’t have the money or regional access can play them. While the objective is to give players a trial before buying the game, many game repacks are complete, including DLCs, and are often updated to the latest version.
Now, why buy expensive games? Co-op gaming. This is likely the saving grace of developers and publishers against piracy. Despite the efforts of talented repackers, unlocking co-op gaming modes remains challenging.
But for solo content, repacked games are heaven. They can enter the game world and finish the story without wasting a single penny on a premium game.
Do you think the Ghost of Tsushima will still arrive in PH?
