Sony could introduce PSN account linking for PC games and rewards, files suggest

Evidence has been discovered that Sony could be planning to introduce PlayStation Network integration to its PC games.

Since its release on PC last week, fans have been digging through the game files of PlayStation’s latest port, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and discovered references to PlayStation Network integration within its code.

According to the game files – which have been viewed by VGC – Sony could be planning to allow PC players to link their PlayStation Network accounts to specific games and offer in-game bonuses as a reward for doing so.

While neither Marvel’s Spider-Man nor any other PlayStation Studios PC game currently allows connectivity with PSN accounts, Spider-Man’s files contain multiple references to “PSNAccountLinked” and “PSNLinkingEntitlements”.

Furthermore, references in Spider-Man’s files to “LevelCapExtras” in relation to “PSN Linking bonuses” appears to suggest that developer Insomniac was either experimenting or planning to give players extra skill points for linking their accounts.

Before this discovery, PlayStation launched a new section on its site specifically about PlayStation Games for PC last week.

One of the questions within the site’s FAQ asked if a PSN account was needed to play PlayStation games on PC, with Sony responding: “No, you currently do not need a PSN account to enjoy PlayStation Studios games on PC.”

These recent findings could indicate that PlayStation Network Integration could indeed arrive in the future, but as an optional feature for players who choose to integrate with the service.

While PlayStation Studios games on PC – such as God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone and Spider-Man Remastered – can be played without the need to sign up for a PSN account, this isn’t necessarily the case with Xbox Game Studios titles, which requires an Xbox Live account for some games on Steam.

While some titles (such as Minecraft Dungeons, Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Psychonauts 2) don’t need players to create an Xbox Live account, other notable Xbox Game Studios titles do.

Further reading

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The likes of Forza Horizon 5, Sea of Thieves, Halo: The Master Chief Collection and As Dusk Falls state on their Steam pages: “Requires third party account: Xbox Live.” However, this comes with the benefit of shared Achievements and shared save progress.

Last year Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan stated that PlayStation was planning to bring “a whole slate” of games to PC.

Spider-Man Remastered will be its sixth title, due for release on Friday, which will be followed by PC ports of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection later in the year.