The PSN account, which is free, was required but turned off during launch. It’s been working fine. Now if you don’t link your PSN to steam you can’t play after the end of this month. You lose a PC game on steam because you don’t have a PlayStation Network account.
It’s totally unnecessary and Sony has a shit cyber security track record.
Sony has shot the game developer in the face with this.
It’s against the TOS to use false information to make a PSN account. So now you’re banned and can’t play the game on steam.
Sony has an atrocious record of being hacked as well.
Some of the countries the game was sold in don’t allow PSN accounts to be created. So those users can’t play the game on steam.