Although Sony abandoned the PSN account link on Jedi Submarine 2, it still removed the game from the Steam store in regions where PSN service is not available. Now, as another upcoming Sony PlayStation PC game, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut has also been removed from the Steam store in more than 100 countries and regions where PSN is not available, and Steam has begun to refund players in these regions.
The game base game of "Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut" does not require a PSN account as a stand-alone game, but due to the addition of the multiplayer DLC "Strange Tales Mode" in the Director's Cut, this mode requires a PSN account to be linked, and by binding a PSN account, players can use PSN's friends list, game voice, and cross-platform online to earn trophies.
Sony's "enclosure" in the PC gaming market undoubtedly guarantees that gamers who buy games will become part of the PSN community. However, in addition to losing part of the market, this disguised "region-locking" behavior of being limited to the expansion of PSN service regions will undoubtedly arouse the dissatisfaction of a large number of players. The PC gaming market is undoubtedly a huge piece of cake, and Sony's "pick-and-choose" distribution model provides a boost or hindrance to their PC strategy.