For years now, PlayStation users have been requesting name changes on PSN. After a small beta period at the end of last year, the feature has finally launched for everyone. As we learned in the beta however, there are some exceptions to be aware of. You can find the official post on the PlayStation Blog , and we’ve highlighted a few of the key points below.
Q. What do you mean by a game supports the online ID change if it was ‘originally published’ on or after April 1, 2018?
- The game must have launched for the first time on or after April 1, 2018, to support the online ID change feature. For example, a game that first launched back in 2013 that has since been re-mastered or re-sold as a ‘complete edition’ in 2018 does not apply.
Q: What kind of issues could I potentially run into?
Below are some of the issues you may encounter. We expect major issues to occur only in a small number of games.
- Your previous Online ID may remain visible to you and other players in some areas.
- You may lose progress within games, including game saved data, leaderboard data, and progress towards Trophies.
- Parts of your game and applications may not function properly both online and offline.
- You may lose access to content (including paid-for content) that you may have acquired for your games including content like add-ons and virtual currency.
Our Take
As discussed when this feature finally debuted in late 2018, we applaud the continual effort on it. Though it’s a shame it’s tainted by some of the issues and exceptions. We’re unsure of the reasons as to why PSN can’t support a proper account update, but at the very least, this solves the issue going forward.