It seems that PlayStation is determined to force every PC gamer from ever playing Helldivers 2, and enforcing a requirement that should have been enforced on day one is a damned good way to set the world on fire. On Friday, May 3rd, 2024, Arrowhead Game Studios released a post on Steam and the Helldivers 2 Twitter account, regarding upcoming mandatory logins to the PlayStation Network as of May 6th, 2024. Those playing the game will be required to link the accounts by June 4th, 2024, or they will not be able to play the game again. New players will need to adhere to this policy as soon as they purchase the game.
This is yet another “WTF PlayStation” move, and from what I’m seeing, it’s definitely not going over well.
At first, I didn’t think that was a big deal, as I recall this being a requirement, or at least it was listed on the Helldivers 2 Steam page ever since the game was available on Steam. When you first log into the game, it asks you to create a PSN account/link account, or you can skip it. Creating a PlayStation Network account only takes a few minutes, and after that, you can link the account. However, being the ignorant American that I am, it didn’t dawn on me until later that not all countries or regions have access to the PlayStation Network service, while Steam is damn near worldwide. Hey, at least I can acknowledge when I’ve made a mistake, but moving on.
This means that this forced requirement will force players who have been playing Helldivers 2 since its release to find a way to make an account if their region isn’t supported or stop playing the game altogether. As it all sinks in, I can only say that this is a really dumb move. If this requirement had been there since day one, it should have been enforced on day one.
What’s all the fuss about?
Mainly because being a mandatory requirement to link your Helldivers 2 account to PSN wasn’t enforced from the start, and regions that have access to Steam but don’t have access to PSN, will soon not have access to the game. It’s not being forced to have a PSN login isn’t the main issue, as this isn’t anything new on the PC platform. Xbox Game Studio games require you to log into Xbox Live accounts, Rockstar Games, require you to log into their services, and so forth.
The main dig is that the game was sold in regions that will soon no longer be able to play the game.
What can you do about it?
I understand that people are upset… no, downright pissed about this, as they should be. But complaining on Twitter and various other social media networks isn’t going to solve this. Everyone, not just those affected, needs to contact those responsible for this and also hit them where it counts the most: their bank account.
Contact Arrowhead Game Studios at @Arrowheadgs and voice your frustration for affecting your fellow PC gamers. Contact PlayStation at @PlayStation to let them know that this is a terrible decision and that it’s mainly their fault that the PlayStation Network still isn’t available worldwide. It’s not like this hasn’t been possible just as long as Xbox Live, which is more widespread. Then contact Steam and request a refund and tell them that you are being forced to sign up for an account that isn’t available in your region or that you’re being forced to log into another service and you don’t agree with that. Should you get denied, keep requesting that refund until someone agrees with you.
And perhaps most importantly, though I am not a fan of the practice, it does get results: give the game a negative review on Steam. Yes, I am actively recommending review bombing, as it does get the eyes of the developers and it sends a signal that something is very wrong. Do it… for Democracy!
Some have even recalled the number of PlayStation Network account breaches and simply don’t want to be part of the next one. There’s also concern that getting your PSN account banned would also affect your Steam account. There are too many variables and no answers to the questions, and there needs to be. This is the cart before the horse.
Why is this happening now?
That’s a good question and no one outside of PlayStation can answer that, though I can speculate as I love to do. Ever since Helldivers 2 was dropped, no pun intended, the game has been a massive sell for PlayStation. So much so that I feel the game has gone on to become much bigger than it was assumed it would. While the first Helldivers was a good game and a fan favorite, it didn’t do massive numbers. Helldivers 2, on the other hand, managed to surpass God of War on the PC, which was the biggest PlayStation launch title on the PC. Needless to say, Sony wants to have accurate tracking.
It wants to see who’s playing it, how many are jumping on, and other metrics. Without a direct connection to the PlayStation Network, those metrics are restricted to Steam, and PlayStation does not want that. So, where we are. Granted, I could be completely off base here, but this is what it feels like to me.
But I want to stress that this is not due to Arrowhead Game Studios’ fault. They have also been caught off-guard, and according to one of the Helldivers 2 community managers on Discord, the developer has been trying to get answers from Sony as well.
Will Helldivers 2 end up dying on PC?
Well, it’s too early to say anything, but if I were a betting man, I’d say that unless Sony reverses this insane action, I don’t see the title performing anywhere near as well as it did prior to this forced login nonsense. Sales will drop, as new players will likely not want to adhere to the mandatory logins. Other players who were playing the game in regions that support Steam but not PSN will no longer be able to play the game. That means fewer concurrent players online and fewer sales, which are factors that could kill the game on the PC front.
I’m hoping that Sony realizes that forcing this login now, months after the game’s success, is a terrible move and that making it optional, as it is now, is the best way to go. The metrics that could be provided from the account linking can’t be worth the number of players lost due to this. And if appeasing a player base that has been nothing but loyal and excited for this game isn’t going to force their hand, perhaps seeing the player count drop will.
I’m done as well. Sure, I have a PSN account, and this doesn’t affect me. But I will stand with my fellow PC gamers, and if they are being affected, then I’m going to show them that I have their backs. Meanwhile, I’ll keep refreshing the Helldivers 2 Steam page and watch those positive reviews get changed to negative ones like I’m sure Arrowhead Game Studios’ and PlayStation are.
