Sony may need to rethink its approach to handling PC ports, as God of War: Ragnarök has landed on Steam to a relatively lukewarm response. While previous Sony first-party exclusives have typically thrived after transitioning to PC, Ragnarök‘s performance has been unexpectedly lackluster and not without good reason.
While not a disastrous figure, God of War: Ragnarök reached a peak of just over 35,600 concurrent players on release. For a single-player experience, these numbers might be seen as respectable or even a success, depending on the game’s budget and scale.
However, given that Ragnarök had a development cost of around $200 million and was produced in collaboration with the controversial studio Sweet Baby Inc., the results are underwhelming for a major Sony first-party title.
Though 35,600 players isn’t the worst performance for a PlayStation PC port, that unfortunate record belongs to Concord which sunk Sony hundreds of millions, peaking at only 697 players.
Comparatively, Sony’s Returnal, a game featuring another polarizing ugly quote-on-quote “female” protagonist, peaked at just 6,691 players, while Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart managed 8,757.
Even Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection peaked at only 10,851, while Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales reached 13,539, and Days Gone hit 27,450.
These figures suggest an ongoing struggle for Sony’s PC ports to attract significant player bases, despite the critical success of many of these titles on console.
Given that Sony intentionally delays the release of its first-party titles on PC, these low player numbers are likely not a sign of poor commercial performance. These games have probably already recouped their development costs during their initial PlayStation run, with the PC platform serving as an additional revenue stream.
For comparison, God of War (2018), the predecessor to Ragnarök, achieved a peak of 73,529 concurrent players, more than double what Ragnarök has managed.
Even Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel, Forbidden West, performed better. While Forbidden West saw a peak of 40,400 concurrent players, which was 16,000 fewer than its predecessor, it still fared relatively well compared to other PC releases. Sony’s strategy suggests they view PC sales as a way to further monetize their existing catalog rather than a critical driver of overall revenue.
One of the key factors contributing to God of War: Ragnarök‘s lukewarm reception on PC could be the involvement of Sweet Baby Inc. in its development.
The narrative consultancy firm has come under scrutiny for its consistent emphasis on DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) themes in virtually every project they engage with.
Often seen as a consultancy for developers looking to meet ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) criteria, Sweet Baby Inc. has been criticized for its role in the downfall of several game studios, including Volition and Luminous Productions, the developers behind the ill-received Saints Row Reboot and Forspoken, respectively.
Sweet Baby Inc. has been fiercely defended by gaming journalists, who obscure the real reasons behind gamers’ growing focus on this small narrative consultancy firm.
The controversy escalated after one of Sweet Baby Inc.’s employees launched a cancel campaign against an individual who had listed publicly available information about the company’s involvement in various games. The individual, who created a Steam curator group, left negative reviews on titles linked to Sweet Baby Inc. to alert other players who understand pattern recognition and sought to avoid games made in conjunction with them.
Sweet Baby Inc. has also faced accusations of leveraging societal trends to pressure developers into paying for their narrative services. They use cancel culture and their strong network within gaming journalism as tools for coercion. A notable example involves the Chinese studio Game Science, creators of Black Myth: Wukong.
Allegedly, after the developers refused to collaborate with Sweet Baby Inc., gaming outlet IGN published a story suggesting the developers were sexist, based on mistranslated messages.
This narrative was quickly picked up and recirculated by other media outlets, in an attempt to damage the studio’s reputation, as the accusation of sexism continued to spread every time their first game was mentioned.
Sweet Baby Inc. has also garnered negative attention for its tendency to race-swap characters in games they consult on, such as Alan Wake 2 by Remedy, the upcoming South of Midnight from Compulsion Games, and even God of War: Ragnarök.
In God of War: Ragnarök, Sweet Baby Inc. acted as consultants on character design and narrative, openly stating on their website that their focus was heavily centered around representation.
This approach has raised eyebrows, especially considering that God of War is rooted in Norse and Greek mythology. The franchise, which once followed the Spartan warrior Kratos, the former god of war (roll credits), on his journey to reconcile his violent past while raising his son Atreus, has shifted direction in its recent reboots, with some players feeling that the emphasis on diversity has overshadowed the core mythological themes.
The game features various mythological characters, such as Thor, who is depicted as a fat, bearded man, which has raised some eyebrows. However, the primary point of contention lies with the portrayal of Angrboda.
In traditional Norse mythology, Angrboða is a giantess from Jötunheim, most famously known as the mother of Loki’s monstrous offspring: Fenrir (the giant wolf), Jörmungandr (the World Serpent), and Hel (the ruler of the underworld).
In God of War: Ragnarök, however, Angrboda’s role takes on a more serious tone. She befriends Atreus and plays a pivotal role in helping him uncover his true nature and destiny. As Atreus discovers his identity as Loki and the legacy tied to it, Angrboda serves as an important guide, aiding him in navigating the complex path ahead.
The main issue? Angrboda is portrayed as Black.
God of War: Ragnarök is not the first game to rewrite Norse or Greek mythology with a modern, racially inclusive twist, Hades 2 is another recent example but the nature of her portrayal and inclusion in the game has contributed to Ragnarök being less well-received, even among console players, compared to its 2018 predecessor.
The influence of Sweet Baby Inc. has been noticeable, seemingly at the expense of the game’s original vision. Gamers are increasingly aware of how this consultancy firm “operates” and how journalists run cover ops for them, many believe their involvement leads to sacrifices in authentic design and storytelling in favor of checking ideological boxes.
In God of War: Ragnarök, the influence of Sweet Baby Inc. is evident in various aspects of the game, from character interactions to shifts in the narrative.
Some characters and story arcs appear to be forced into the plot to satisfy diversity quotas, which detracts from the authentic Norse mythology experience that the series was known for during its iconic and memorable trilogy, featuring violence, nudity and sex, crafted by Marianne Krawczyk.
The growing backlash against ESG and DEI initiatives fixated on race and sexual “representation” as well as consultancy firms in the gaming industry, likely contributes to the hesitance among PC players regarding Ragnarök, especially given that many consider it to be an objectively inferior title compared to the 2018 release of God of War.
Another significant point of contention is the game’s requirement for players to sign in with a PlayStation Network (PSN) account, despite it being a single-player title. However, attributing the meager peak of 36,000 players solely to this requirement would be misguided. For instance, Ghost of Tsushima also necessitates a PSN account to access its online Legends mode, cross-play features, and the PlayStation UI, yet sold far better, becoming Sony’s second biggest hit on PC behind Helldivers 2.
God of War: Ragnarök enforces a mandatory PSN account sign-in, whether players want it or not. This puzzling decision by Sony has left many gamers frustrated.
A similar backlash occurred when Sony attempted to force Helldivers 2 players on PC to migrate to PSN accounts in order to continue playing. The move triggered an overwhelming wave of negative reviews on Steam, with hundreds of thousands of players protesting the PSN requirement. The backlash was so severe that even Sony themselves backed down from enforcing the mandate for Helldivers 2.
This move, driven by Sony’s insistence on PSN requirements, has limited the global sales potential of these games. Sony’s future vision seems focused on funding DEI-infused live service titles with no offline play, while also attempting to pull PC gamers into their ecosystem.
By doing so, they hope to monitor and ban problematic users on PC. Sony appears willing to restrict access to their games in many regions to uphold this strategy.
Players in countries where PSN is unsupported or unreliable are being excluded, which is contributing to the lower player counts for these releases. However, this argument loses weight when considering Ghost of Tsushima, a game that’s also blocked in the same regions yet managed to perform exceptionally well, largely because it’s simply a well-received, quality game.
Thankfully, since Sony appears to be cutting corners with their PC ports, they don’t include any form of DRM, meaning the games are cracked and available from day one.
Given Sony’s recent actions and decisions, many feel they don’t deserve your money. If you were interested in God of War: Ragnarök, you can join the thousands who have opted to “sail the high seas” instead, with Sony certainly having lost tens of thousands to piracy.
Alternatively, you can also modify the game on PC to bypass the PlayStation Network account requirement.
Ragnarök currently holds a “Mostly Positive” review score of 70% on Steam, with many users expressing frustration over the mandatory PSN login.
In fact, calling it a “mod” might be a bit generous—it’s so simple that all you need to do is copy two DLL files into the game folder. Launch the game, click “No” when it prompts you to connect your Steam account to PlayStation Network, and you’re good to go.
There’s no need for this PSN requirement. Forcing players to connect to a Sony service for a game that should run independently is completely intrusive.
Considering Sony’s history of data breaches, requiring a PSN account for a PC game raises legitimate concerns about privacy and data security. Why should players risk their personal information for a single-player experience that doesn’t require online interaction?
It’s no wonder that many PC gamers avoid alternative storefronts like EA’s Origin, Ubisoft’s UPlay, Epic Games Store, and others, especially given how many have come and gone, including those from Rockstar Games and Bethesda.
Beyond Ragnarök, this launch serves as a warning sign for Sony’s broader PC strategy. Players are becoming increasingly frustrated with unnecessary online requirements, region locking, and the involvement of third-party consultancy firms like Sweet Baby Inc., who are altering beloved franchises and injecting modern political themes.
The underwhelming release of God of War: Ragnarök on PC isn’t just an isolated incident, it’s part of a growing trend where gamers are rejecting titles that are disconnected from their audiences or are made in conjunction with Sweet Baby Inc, whether due to DEI-driven choices or intrusive online requirements.
