It has been confirmed that Forza Horizon 5 will require a Microsoft account, the company has stated. This information came from an FAQ posted to the Forza support site, saying that:
Yes, in addition to a PSN account you’ll need to link to a Microsoft account in order to play Forza Horizon 5 on PS5. This process begins the first time you start up the game on your console.
This policy is not new and has been featured for several other titles for other games that have released across platforms, such as Sea of Thieves and Grounded. This has also been retroactively added to titles that Microsoft acquired, such as the popular crafting game Minecraft. Despite this, the game has seen controversy, as some claim this “basically kills preservation for the PS5 version of Forza Horizon 5.”
This sentiment has tapped into some players’ fears that Forza Horizon 5 might become unplayable to those that bought it should Microsoft discontinue this account linking process without updating the game to be playable without. Additionally, even without a discontinuation, players have expressed concerns that they might not be able to access the game should they lose this account for whatever reason. Many of these concerns have been exacerbated further owing to the fact the game is set to release as a digital-only title.
Sony is no stranger to complaints about requiring a PlayStation account as well, as 2024 saw the publisher come under fire for their breakout live-service title Helldivers II, which launched without the need for an account (though they always stated there was a to make it a requirement) only for it to launch later to backlash. This decision was later reversed, but it made clear that future titles such as The Last of Us Part II and Spider-Man 2 would require it. Recently, this requirement was laxed, no longer forcing the use of a PlayStation Account, but incentivising it with additional in-game content as well as early unlocks should you link your account.
The announcement of Forza Horizon 5 received some mixed reception when it was announced, as many pointed out that the game was receiving a $59.99 price tag, the same as it had on release, despite being originally released in 2021. It should be noted, though, that even on Xbox, the title maintains a similar price point despite having released almost 4 years ago.
Adding to this is the fact that the game does not feature cross progression, according to the same FAQ, a feature some gamers thought we might see given the requirement of a Microsoft account. The company was quick to point out that cross-progression was also not featured between the Xbox version and the Steam versions of the game since these game files were separate and not synchronized.
Forza Horizon 5 is a very fun racing title, so I am excited to play it again when it comes to PlayStation 5. This will also be the latest of several titles that Microsoft has released on the rival console when it releases on April 29th. Additionally, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which was released last year on Xbox and PC, will also be released on PlayStation 5 sometime this year.
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