In addition to this, a user cannot share a game that is not available in the guest account's country of origin

Nov 4, 2014 15:16 GMT  ·  By

It appears that for German players, the PlayStation 4's new feature, Share Play, comes with some previously unknown limitations.

Share Play was introduced to Sony's PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system last week, being delivered in the console's latest major firmware update. The feature enables users to invite their friends to play their games remotely, even if said friends don't own the video game in question.

The feature has several different modes, ranging from enabling your friends to watch you play to having them join you in cooperative multiplayer or even assuming control of your character, and possibly allowing more experienced players to guide you through areas that prove too difficult.

When the feature was announced though, nobody said anything about prospective restrictions, such as the ones discovered today.

Germany has some pretty strict rules about having fun

German Gamers can only be invited and invite other Germans, and a player getting invited to a game that is rated 16+ or higher has to input his ID number in order to be able to join the session.

The issue first popped up on Reddit and NeoGAF, and the restriction is apparently linked to the strict German laws regarding video game content usage. The country has a history of banning or censoring violent video games or those with mature content, so this hardly comes as a surprise.

The stipulation is mentioned in the FAQ area of Sony's support website, also confirming the fact that Share Play cannot be used if the game you are trying to share is not available in the PlayStation Store of the guest account's country, or if the age of the user is below the age rating indicated on the PS Store.

The reports are isolated, but hopefully this will improve in time

The decision to prevent people from freely sharing software may seem like a backwards one, but crossing borders does not mean that you are exempt from laws and regulations, which sadly translates into people not being able to enjoy their favorite pastime properly.

Among the reports, players claim that FIFA 15 was used, and that a UK-based account invited a Germany-based one, and that the attempt was unfruitful. The reports from all over the world poured in, revealing that on some occasions, one of the parties involved was able to share his games, but that it didn't work the other way around.

The Share Play feature looks like the kind of thing that would add an extra incentive to owning a PlayStation 4, and most users will likely be able to make use of it without a hitch.