Stockholm, Sweden – Helldivers 2 players were caught by surprise earlier this week when they were informed of a new requirement to link their Steam accounts to a PlayStation Network (PSN) account. This announcement led to a significant backlash, with the game receiving over 100,000 negative reviews on Steam just two days later.
In response to the uproar, Arrowhead, the developers of Helldivers 2, attempted to reassure players that they were on their side. Johan Pilestedt, Arrowhead’s CEO and creative director, took to Twitter to acknowledge the situation, expressing regret for how things unfolded and promising to work towards regaining players’ trust and providing an exceptional gaming experience.
Despite initially holding a “Mostly Positive” rating on Steam, recent developments have pushed Helldivers 2 into a “Mixed” category, with only 59% of reviews being positive. Arrowhead community manager Spitz shared that internal discussions are ongoing regarding the mandatory account linking, with the development team expressing dissatisfaction with the decision, which originated from Sony.
The mandatory account linking has sparked various concerns among players, ranging from inconvenience to privacy and data collection worries. Particularly troubling are the issues faced by players in regions where creating a PSN account is not feasible. Arrowhead has acknowledged these challenges and is exploring alternative solutions to prevent these players from being excluded from the game.
While Sony has been expanding its game offerings on PC, Helldivers 2 stands out as a simultaneous release on both PC and PlayStation platforms, contributing to its success. Despite the game’s popularity and critical acclaim, the unnecessary account requirement has marred the gaming experience for many players.
In light of the backlash and ongoing discussions within the community, Arrowhead and Sony may need to rethink their approach to account linking in order to address players’ concerns and maintain the positive gaming experience that Helldivers 2 is known for.