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Steam is issuing automatic refunds to players who pre-ordered Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut in countries where the PlayStation Network (PSN) is inaccessible.
Sucker Punch Productions, the developer behind Ghost of Tsushima, clarified on May 3 that Steam players wouldn’t need to sign up for PSN if they intended to experience the single-player campaign on Steam solely.
Thank you for your feedback.
Just so you are aware, A PSN account is required for Legends online multiplayer mode and to use PlayStation overlay. It is not required to play the singleplayer game.
— Sucker Punch Productions (@SuckerPunchProd) May 3, 2024
However, reports have surfaced indicating that digital storefronts like Steam and Green Man Gaming are now either voluntarily or under instruction, issuing automatic refunds for pre-orders placed by players in regions where PSN access isn’t feasible.
The refund notifications received by Steam pre-orderers cite the requirement of a secondary account to access certain parts of the game, which cannot be created from the user’s country.
“You are receiving a refund for a game you pre-purchased – Ghost of Tsushima,” reads the notice sent to players. “The publisher of this game now requires a secondary account to play portions of this game – and this account cannot be created from your country.”
Despite the absence of official announcements from Sony, Steam, or Sucker Punch concerning these automatic refunds, disgruntled players have voiced their frustration on platforms such as Reddit and X due to their canceled orders.
I so love @Sony for just hating on its consumer base.
Just got auto-refunded by Steam for my pre-ordered Ghost of Tsushima, thanks to to the newly imposed restrictions over PSN in my country (Estonia).
Can't wait for a second refund with @helldivers2 , would be amazing pic.twitter.com/isZVCk3CUE
— John Smitheroni (@Smitheroni38883) May 10, 2024
Given that Sucker Punch is affiliated with PlayStation Studios, speculation suggests that the decision to refund pre-orders preemptively could be a response to the severe backlash faced by Helldivers 2, which prompted Sony to reverse its initial decision following a barrage of negative reviews.
Initially, it was believed that only Green Man Gaming was implementing automatic refunds, but reports indicate that Steam and the Epic Games Store are also following suit.
With the PC release of Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut slated for May 16, 2024, players await further clarification from Sucker Punch and Sony regarding this refund policy. Meanwhile, Nixxes Software has provided details on crossplay, system requirements, and an optional PlayStation UI overlay for the PC version.
