Sony Blocks Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Steam Release in 132 Countries Over PSN Requirements

Steam players in 132 countries are blocked from purchasing the PC version of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, following Sony's decision to mandate PlayStation Network (PSN) account requirements. It is a familiar map for PC gaming enthusiasts, who are once again seeing a major release fenced off before it even gets to the starting line.

The restrictions render the game unplayable in regions where the PlayStation Network is officially unsupported. According to Steam database listings, the blocked territories are identical to the 132 countries previously restricted from buying Helldivers 2—a list that spans the Baltic states, vast portions of Africa, Latin America, and Asia. For players in these territories, the digital storefront simply shows a notice that the game is unavailable in their region.

The details

• Affected platform: PC (Steam)
• Total blocked territories: 132 countries
• Core requirement: Mandatory PlayStation Network (PSN) account creation
• Status: Purchase page disabled in unsupported regions

Why are players blocked?

The heart of the restriction is Sony’s policy requiring a PSN account for its PC releases, a strategy designed to pull Steam users into the PlayStation ecosystem. However, because the PlayStation Network is only officially available in roughly 70 countries, requiring an account automatically locks out players in the remaining regions of the world.

Attempting to bypass this by creating a PSN account in a different region violates Sony's terms of service and risks account bans, leaving affected players with no official or safe path to purchase the game. What was once a straightforward transaction on an open platform now requires navigating geographical bureaucracy.

Why are PC players frustrated?

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from the PC community, raising questions about Sony's long-term commitment to its new audience. While the publisher has repeatedly stated its intention to expand its presence on PC, the repeated application of regional locks suggests a rigid approach to platform integration that prioritizes ecosystem sign-ups over actual market reach.

Critics and players argue that requiring a console-centric account for a PC purchase treats global digital storefronts like local physical retail shops, artificially segmenting an audience that is accustomed to borderless digital access. The strategy has reignited the same community frustration that erupted during the Helldivers 2 mandate, signaling that the friction between console ecosystems and PC standards is far from resolved.

Why it matters

The restriction of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls demonstrates that Sony's PSN account requirement is a non-negotiable pillar of its PC strategy, rather than a temporary policy. For global players, it highlights a growing fragmentation in digital distribution where account ecosystems override store availability. For Sony, balancing the desire to build a unified player database with the realities of global digital access remains a primary friction point in its transition to a multiplatform publisher.