Sony warns gamers could lose saves, progress, DLC access after changing PSN name

When Sony revealed earlier this year it was working on a way for PlayStation gamers to change their IDs after 12 years, most — including us — were excited about the prospect. Now, as more details surfaced this week about exactly how name changes will work, it’s got use more than a little nervous. From the sounds of the list of potential pitfalls, we’re suddenly not too keen on the idea.

The amount of caveats to changing your name is a little galling — not because there are so many of them, but because each one represents having something important possibly being taken from you. According to ResetEra, side effects of changing your PSN name may include:

• Losing access to purchased DLC, including virtual currency
• Losing game progress, saves, and trophies
• Potentially having online functions not work properly
• Your previous ID still being visible
• Not being able to fix any issues even when you revert to your old name
• Nausea
• Heartburn
• Sudden fits of irrational rage

Okay, we made those last three up, but you’d probably feel one or more of them if you were to lose trophies, saves, or DLC thanks to name change, and couldn’t even get them back by regressing to your previous name.

We’d heard rumors this might be the case — or at the very least that the name change was complex and could cause a plethora of problems — but it’s still jarring to hear the company say just how much you could potentially lose if you change your PSN name. It almost doesn’t sound like it’s worth it. Not to mention that, after the first name change, it’ll cost you money to try it again.

If you still want to attempt to change your name, the update should be coming to users sometime next year. But suffice to say, you’d better have a truly terrible name to want to brave that.