Stellar Blade is scheduled to debut on PC on June 11th. Despite the official confirmation, the game's arrival on the Steam platform will not be global. The title has been blocked in over 120 countries, a situation that even surprised the developer, Shift Up.
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The South Korean company announced the launch on social media, but received messages from players reporting that the game was not available in their regions. In response, Shift Up assured that Stellar Blade for PC does not require a PSN (PlayStation Network) account, but expressed surprise at the restriction.
Restrictions on Steam generate frustration and misinformation
By checking the SteamDB platform, it's possible to confirm that the game is indeed unavailable in countries where the PSN doesn't officially operate. This measure is reminiscent of the recent case of Helldivers 2, which faced mass boycotts after requiring linking to a PSN account, leading to its removal from 177 countries.
Unlike that episode, Shift Up made it clear that using PSN will not be mandatory. However, a cosmetic bonus can be unlocked if the player connects their account to Sony's service, which may have motivated the preventative blocking in some regions.
In addition to regional restrictions, another recurring complaint is the inclusion of the Denuvo protection system. Known for its rigidity, the software is often viewed negatively by gamers due to its impact on performance.
System requirements and expectations for high performance
Along with confirming the release date, Shift Up released the technical specifications for running Stellar Blade on PC. The minimum configuration requires an Intel i5-7600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X processor, with a graphics card equivalent to a GTX 1060 or RX 580 and 16 GB of RAM. The game will occupy 75 GB of storage.
For superior performance, the requirements increase considerably. At 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, at least an RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 7900 XT will be necessary. All listed configurations recommend the use of an SSD for better performance.
Sony also confirmed that the additional content from the PC version will be available for free on PlayStation 5. The update reinforces the attempt to align experiences across platforms, despite geographical barriers.
Higher sales expected on PC
According to the financial report released in February, Shift Up is betting on the commercial performance of the PC version being superior to that of the console. The company believes that AAA third-person action games have been gaining more ground on PC, especially in the Asian market.
According to the developer, expanding the single-player genre strengthens sales potential outside the PlayStation ecosystem. The studio is betting on players migrating to PC, motivated by hardware freedom and the absence of the need for additional accounts.
With the release date already set and the buzz ongoing, it remains to be seen whether Sony will reconsider the restrictions and release the game in currently blocked markets. Until then, part of the community continues to await access, while another part prepares to run the title with the announced technical requirements.