Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered requires a PSN Account, and the original game is no longer available on PC.

Horizon Zero Dawn's remaster, which leaked in September, will be released at the end of this month. Now that the good news is out of the way, let's get to the bad. You'll need a PlayStation Network Account to play it. If you were hoping to avoid that requirement by buying the original PC version instead, that won't happen, as it has been removed from sale.

IGN has noted that the Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered page on Steam and Epic Games Store both state that a PlayStation Network Account is required to play this game on PC. The Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition page is still accessible, but not the game. On Steam, it now only offers a link to remaster the game, while Epic lists it as "unavailable."

This is a problem because of a few reasons. It's a pain because I don't own a PlayStation console and I don't want to set up a PlayStation Network account so I can play games on my PC.

The game will not be available in some countries without PSN access. This is a far more serious problem for others. This was evident in May when Sony made a PSN-requirement for Helldivers 2. Sony's terms and conditions forbid you from setting your PSN account up in a different country than where you live.

Helldivers 2's backlash was swift and furious. More than 221,000 negative Steam reviews - that's right, a hundred and twenty-one holy-cow-thousand - forced Sony to drop this requirement. Sony has not given up the idea that PC gamers must connect to the PlayStation Network in order to play PlayStation games.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered may also see a similar bombing campaign of reviews when it launches on October 31. But maybe not. Helldivers 2 attracted tens and thousands of players simultaneously when Sony dropped the PSN requirement. Horizon Zero Dawn is a great game, but it's a few years older. This might lead one to question why Sony bothers to remaster the game in the first instance, but that is a different discussion.

The PSN requirement is also present in God of War: Ragnarok for PC, which was released on September 19. It has a "mostly favorable" rating on Steam, though not as high as if it didn't have the PSN requirement. This is due to a bombastic review campaign that started early, but did not last.

There are a few negative reviews on the Steam page of Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition. However, there is no sign of a widespread revolt at this time. Only 39 negative reviews were posted over the last two days compared to 62 favorable reviews. This is a slight downturn, but not a revolution.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will tell the tale: There will be some unhappy players, but it is unclear if they will reach the same level of discontent as Helldivers 2. I personally doubt it: If we've learned anything from horse armor it's that yesterdays outrage becomes tomorrow's business-as-usual. Bruce Springsteen said, "You get accustomed to anything." Sooner or later it becomes your life.