Concord devs defend PSN requirement after Helldivers 2 backlash: "The goal is for players to come together"

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"For that cross-play and cross-progression to work, that's a layer that needs to be there"

Concord
(Image credit: Firewalk Studios)

Sony is rapidly expanding its offerings on PC, and part of that push is an effort to get more players signed up for PlayStation Network. Helldivers 2 walked back its post-launch plans for a PSN requirement, but Concord - the upcoming 5v5 FPS from a team of Destiny veterans - aims to make PC players sign up with PSN from the start.

According to the devs, Concord's PSN requirement on PC is how features like cross-play and cross-progression can be implemented. "The goal is for players to come together," lead character designer Jon Weisnewski tells Eurogamer. "And so for us to have PC players and PlayStation 5 players together, for that cross-play and cross-progression to work, that's a layer that needs to be there - just on a technical level. So the goal is we want to get players together, to have fun and play together, this is part of that experience."

Sony-published PlayStation games have taken a wide array of approaches to PSN following the intense backlash over Helldivers 2. Last month, Ghost of Tsushima hit PC with a PSN requirement for its online mode, but no requirement to sign up for an account if you want to play solo. But despite being a single-player only game, the upcoming PC version of God of War Ragnarok is apparently set to require PSN if you want to play at all.

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As for Concord, the FPS game's proper unveiling last month met with a mixed reception from a gaming audience fatigued by live service games, but the shooter has plenty of pedigree and potential. A Concord beta is set to kick off in July ahead of the full launch on August 23.

Check out a whole lot more upcoming PC games. 

Dustin Bailey
Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.