Ghost of Tsushima PC multiplayer crossplay will come with beta label attached, following PSN debacle

Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut is set to launch on PC in two days, and developer Nixxes has made the interesting move of stating that the game's crossplay functionality - which requires the much-contested PSN login on PC - will now launch with a "beta" label attached.

Legends, the game's cooperative online multiplayer mode, was previously assumed to be a fully-functional part of the upcoming PC release. Back in April, when Nixxes shared the PC requirements for Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, the studio noted players would require a PSN account for multiplayer, and nothing more was said on this particular feature. The word 'beta' never appeared.

Now, Legends is described as being "functional on PC at launch", but cross-play won't be automatic.

The move follows plenty of hoo-ha over Helldivers' PC PSN log-in requirement (which is now steadily being resolved after Sony backtracked on its original plans). Still, Ghost of Tsushima's developer Sucker Punch was forced to make clear that Steam players would not be required to sign up to PSN if they only wanted to play the Director's Cut's single-player campaign. Despite that, Steam began auto-refunding players who bought Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut in countries where PSN isn't available.

That brings us to today, where it now appears Legends is only in "beta", thanks to presumably an effort from Sony and Nixxes to lure players back with some kind of 'good faith, this is all a work in progress' rewording.

An update on the original blog post detailing the game's PC requirements now reads:

"At launch, cross play on Legends Mode will be in beta. Cross-play between PS4 consoles, PS5 consoles, and PC is supported when starting a game session by inviting friends on PlayStation Network."

An additional post on social media platform X reads:

"As previously announced, Legends co-op multiplayer mode will include cross-play between players on PS4 consoles, PS5 consoles and PC. Legends will be functional on PC at launch, but you won't be automatically matched with players on different platforms. Cross-play will launch in beta, meaning you can try it out by inviting your PlayStation Network friends."

It also states the multiplayer mode will not be available on Steam Deck, due to Legends requiring Windows to access the PlayStation Network integrated features.

Does this mean that further down the line, PC players won't require a PSN account at all? Perhaps, and Eurogamer has asked Sony for clarification on this point. It would tie in with what the company said during the Helldivers 2 debacle - that it is "still learning what is best for PC players".

Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut is set to release on 16th of May on PC. The game is now available to pre-load on Steam. For more exact timings, you can check out the infographic below for more:

In addition to its PC debut, Ghost of Tsushima is also in the process of being turned into a film by John Wick director Chad Stahelski.

Last year, the director said he wanted to "push the colour palette" in this adaptation, stating: "You can already tell from the John Wick films that I love colour and I love composition. To really try and not only live up to but exceed what the game has done with its visuals is completely fascinating to me."