Summary
Bungie has confirmed that its upcomingMarathonrevival won’t mandate a PlayStation Network account requirement on other platforms. The PSN account requirement has been quite contentious for Sony games outside the PlayStation ecosystem, so theBungieupdate is a relieving sign for players planning to try outMarathonon Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Last year, Sony came under fire for announcingPSN account integration on Steam forHelldivers 2, inciting so much outrage that the gaming giant eventually backtracked on the rule. However, Sony did implement the PSN account linking mandate in subsequent PlayStation PC releases, including single-player games likeGod of War RagnarokandHorizon Zero Dawn Remastered. SinceMarathonis coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, there were some anxieties about Sony levying the PSN account requirement for the live-service extraction shooter, given the PlayStation parent company owns Bungie.
This concern was brought up on Bungie’s official Discord server, where the developer affirmed thatMarathonwill not force PSN account linking for Xbox Series X/S and PC players. Instead,Marathonwill most likely require a Bungie.net account for cross-platform and cross-save functionality, which manyDestiny 2players are already familiar with. The news is no doubt welcome for those who were dissatisfied with Sony for enforcing amandatory PSN account in its PC games, and will hopefully generate more goodwill for Bungie andMarathon.
Marathon to Eschew PSN Account Linking Rule for PC, Xbox Players
The coming days are going to be exciting for Bungie fans too, as the studio will hold a dedicatedgameplay showcase forMarathonon April 12. Concrete details aboutMarathon’s gameplay, features, and possibly even its release date, will break cover during this presentation, so fans won’t have to wait long to see what Bungie has been cooking up all these years. The reassurance that players won’t have to deal with a PSN account to playMarathonlooks to be a promising sign for the game’s reception ahead of the April 12 showcase.
As for whyMarathonis exempt from the PSN account linking mandate, the reason may lie in Bungie’s organizational structure. While theDestiny 2developer is owned by Sony, it doesn’t quite sit within the PlayStation Studios umbrella.Sony acquired Bungieto gain expertise in the live-service arena, and as part of the buyout agreement, allowed the studio to develop games for whichever platforms it wishes to. This also happens to be the reasonMarathon’s launch platforms include the Xbox Series X/S, the PS5’s direct competitor.
