Image: Arrowhead Games
Helldivers 2 is having a rough week, as negative Steam reviews flood the game due to Sony’s forced PlayStation Network account linking.
It has been a rough week for Helldivers 2, to say the least. On May 3rd, it was announced that PC players would have to sign up for a PlayStation Network (PSN) account to access the game beginning from May 6. PC players naturally resisted this change, only for Sony to double down on the controversial move by pulling Helldivers 2 from sale in 177 countries and territories where PSN isn’t available.
As a result, the multiplayer PvE shooter that might have been considered one of the year's biggest breakout hits has now garnered upwards of 250 thousand negative reviews on Steam.
Sony halts Helldivers 2 sales in 177 countries and territories
In case you’ve been out of the loop, here’s a brief summary of what went down in the world of Helldivers 2 over the weekend: on May 3, players were notified that they would need a PlayStation Network account to play the game on PC via Steam. Technically, this was always the case - players would see pop-up messages in-game to sign up for a PSN account - but developer Arrowhead Games chose to disable the forced account linking at launch to alleviate server problems.
PC players were always going to need a PSN account to play Helldivers 2 eventually, but they now had a firm deadline: June 4, after which anyone without a PSN account would be locked out of the game. Players immediately protested the change by review-bombing Helldivers 2 on Steam and voicing their complaints on social media, but Sony only doubled down in response.
On May 5, Sony pulled Helldivers 2 from sale in 177 different countries and territories where the PSN service is unavailable. The game is also being removed in Japan, but for a different reason: it’s simply being replaced by a different localised version. Anyone who currently owns Helldivers 2 and lives in one of these 177 countries (excluding Japan) will still be locked out of the game unless they sign up for a PSN account in a different country, which violates Sony’s terms of service.
Obviously, this move has only added fuel to the fire. Helldivers 2 now has over 250 thousand negative recent reviews on Steam, a sharp drop for the former breakout hit of 2024. Players seem to be banding together for these negative reviews the way they would in-game, writing statements like, “I’m doing my part,” and, “We dive together or not at all,” on the page. Steam has also started to give players refunds of the game even if they’ve exceeded the platform’s 2-hours of playtime refund policy.
On Arrowhead’s part, the studio has made it very clear that it’s trying to undo these changes in talks with Sony. CEO Johan Pilestedt wrote on Twitter/X that, “We are talking solutions with PlayStation, especially for non-PSN countries. 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.” In other words, it’s all up to Sony to undo this blunder.
Update: Sony has announced on Twitter/X that it's rolling back its previously-announced changes to Helldivers 2. Players will no longer have to link their Steam accounts to a PSN account to play the game. Major Order complete!
