Shift Up, the game’s developer, mentioned it is currently in discussions with Sony regarding the region lock issue that emerged on May 16th. The game’s Steam release on June 11th has been blocked in over 120 countries without any clear reason.

On social media, the developer shared a brief statement, emphasizing efforts to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and promising updates once more information is available.

Players also noted the inclusion of Denuvo in the PC version, which has caused some frustration. The studio provided a chart to show that DRM has been optimized to maintain or even improve frame rates.

Shift Up assured players that mods are fully supported, PSN is optional, and both PS5 and PC versions offer the same content. Early buyers will not be disadvantaged by future updates.

Similar to the situation with Helldivers 2, which was pulled from sale in 177 countries last year after a PSN requirement led to review-bombing, Stellar Blade seems to face a comparable issue. However, the studio has clarified that a PSN account is optional.