A new Helldivers 2 patch is here and will hopefully put the whole PlayStation Network account linking debacle to bed once and for all, as it's now been added as an explicitly "optional" setting.
05.05.2024 - 20:59 / gamingbolt.com / Johan Pilestedt / Sony
Things have taken a sour turn drastically and abruptly for Helldivers 2. Sony recently made PlayStation Network logins mandatory for Steam players, sparking significant backlash from the community, especially from those who live in the many, many countries where PlayStation Network simply isn’t available. Sony recently pulled the game off sale in all of those countries, but Helldivers 2 director and developer Arrowhead Game Studios’ CEO Johan Pilestedt says a more long-term solution is being worked on.
Taking to Twitter, Pilestedt assured fans that Arrowhead and Sony are in discussion about potential solutions, specifically for players who live in countries where PSN isn’t available. However, though Pilested says the final say on how the situation resolves is going to be with Sony, not him.
“We are talking solutions with PlayStation, especially for non-PSN countries,” he wrote. “Your voice has been heard, and I am doing everything I can to speak for the community – but I don’t have the final say.”
How long it’ll be before Sony and Arrowhead are able to announce something that calms the storm Helldivers 2 has found itself in remains to be seen, though the community is certainly making its displeasure known. Over the last three days, Helldivers 2 has accumulated over 230,000 negative user reviews on Steam, sending its review score over the last 30 days plummeting down to Overwhelmingly Negative.
Steam has also been issuing refunds for Helldivers 2 players, including those who exceed the platform’s usual 2-hour play time limit for refunds.
Is this the moment to tweet «What? You guys don't have phones?»
A new Helldivers 2 patch is here and will hopefully put the whole PlayStation Network account linking debacle to bed once and for all, as it's now been added as an explicitly "optional" setting.
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead has released the Polar Patriots Premium Warbond as planned after the boss of the studio polled fans on whether it should go ahead so soon after what he called “negative sentiment” over the game’s PlayStation Network account linking.
Helldivers 2 Community Manager 'Spitz' is seemingly no longer with Arrowhead Game Studios following outings he did over the now-canceled mandatory PSN account linking update.
Helldivers 2 developers are reportedly working on a new cape inspired by the account-linking controversy. While the community can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the worst of the fiasco has passed, some fans have additionally taken to sharing designs for costume accessories inspired by Helldivers 2's Steam page. Some of these designs even managed to reach the offices of developer Arrowhead Game Studios and, if one executive is to be believed, will soon hit live servers as an official cosmetic.
Being a Helldivers 2 fan has been an absolute rollercoaster over this past weekend, with the game being the most loved live service game out there, to the most hated, and back again over the course of just a few days. Most of you will know that this was down to Sony's sudden implementation of its PSN account system, requiring Helldivers 2 players on Steam to sign up for the PlayStation Network if they want to continue playing.
Helldivers 2 has been a huge hit this yea,r with a consistent player base since its launch in February and a peak of over 450,000 players. Fighting for Super Earth, players have been waging war against monstrous insects and deadly robots and laying down their lives for democracy. But the game’s reputation took a hit recently when it was announced that PC players would have to register for a PlayStation Network account to continue playing the game — a move that would have left players in parts of the world with no PSN support high and dry.
It’s been a tumultuous few days for Helldivers 2, as one of this year’s most beloved runaway hits managed to seemingly undo all of its goodwill and earn the ire of thousands of players in the blink of an eye.
After the backlash and subsequent U-turn on Helldivers 2 requiring players to link their Steam account to a PlayStation Network account, the next PlayStation flagship headed to PC has sought to reassure players that you won’t need a PSN account to play its single-player campaign. Multiplayer’s a different case, though.
Sony has reversed a decision that would have required Helldivers 2 players to link their Steam accounts to PlayStation Network accounts.
PlayStation has delivered a U-turn and scrapped its plans to require Helldivers 2 players on Steam to sign in with a PlayStation Network account.
Amidst widespread backlash, Sony has walked back on its decision to make PlayStation Network logins mandatory for Helldivers 2 on PC.
PlayStation has announced that it no longer plans to push the controversial Helldivers 2 PlayStation Network account-linking update. The Helldivers 2 community was rocked by controversy after it was announced that PC users would have to link their Steam account to Sony's PlayStation Network by June if they wanted to continue playing the game. However, the resulting public outcry has seemingly convinced the publisher to rescind its decision.