PlayStation reverses course on controversial Helldivers 2 PC change

By Tomas Franzese May 6, 2024 7:21AM

Two soldiers hug in front of an explosion in Helldivers 2. — Sony Interactive Entertainment

Sony will no longer require PC players of Helldivers 2 to create a PlayStation Network account in order to access the game. This reversal followed a weekend of controversy that saw both Helldivers games getting review bombed on Steam.

If you’re unfamiliar with this controversy, Sony and Arrowhead Game Studios angered Helldivers 2 players with an announcement last week. They planned to start enforcing a PlayStation Network account requirement that Helldivers 2 on PC had ignored since shortly after launch. This already didn’t sit well with PC players who flock to Steam in order to avoid making accounts elsewhere, but the situation worsened once players noticed Helldivers 2 was sold and purchased by people in regions where people can’t create a PlayStation Network account. This resulted in a massive review-bombing campaign on Steam, Valve allowing refunds, and Steam delisting the game in regions that don’t allow PlayStation Network accounts.

PlayStation now confirms that the planned update won’t be happening after all.

“Helldivers fans — we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account-linking update. The May 6 update, which would have required Steam and PlayStation Network account linking for new players and for current players beginning May 30, will not be moving forward,” PlayStation stated on X. “We’re still learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable. Thanks again for your continued support of Helldivers 2, and we’ll keep you updated on future plans.”

This whole situation boiled down to two major mistakes. Arrowhead Game Studios wasn’t clear enough beforehand that the reinstatement of the policy was imminent, so the announcement of it came as a shock to players. Meanwhile, PlayStation sold Helldivers 2 to players in regions it technically knew it couldn’t support on Steam, exacerbating the issues such a requirement creates. Thankfully, Sony and Arrowhead reversed course quickly.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

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