As Helldiver 2’s ratings continue to collapse on Steam, Arrowhead’s best-selling action game has been pulled from some 177 countries in the wake of new PSN account linking requirements that upended its fan base.
Egypt, Georgia, Jamaica and Morocco are some of the notable countries where Helldivers 2 can no longer be purchased due to the unavailability of PSN, sparking confusion among fans. Japan is also among the countries listed, but according to SteamDB it has a separate package and is still available, although users cannot purchase the “global version”.
Helldivers 2 is no longer purchasable in 177 countries where PSN is not available (but some are still available such as the Baltics).
This game has now received 215,000 negative reviews. pic.twitter.com/jJrb9QFafR
– SteamDB (@SteamDB) May 5, 2024
Meanwhile, the latest reviews for Helldivers 2 on Steam are now “very negative” amid continued review bombing by fans. On Friday, Arrowhead CEO Johan Bilstedt apologized for the requirement in a statement posted on All this and I hope we do it.” Make it and regain confidence by providing a continuous great gaming experience, I just want to create great games!
The controversy began on Friday when Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that the “grace period” in which Helldivers 2 did not need to connect to a PSN account had ended. Starting May 6, all new Helldivers 2 players on Steam will be required to link their Steam account to PSN. Existing Steam players will start seeing a mandatory login on May 30.
This requirement sparked an online backlash against SIE that continued throughout the weekend.
“What a f*ck group,” he wrote Independent developer Rami Ismail on X/Twitter. “For all my criticism of Steam, it is unbelievable that they chose to take a hit on Sony’s bullshit to ensure that no one gets an unusable game due to Playstation’s extremely limited access globally. Absolutely terrible decision making by Sony. “
PlayStation has yet to respond to the account linking controversy.
Arrowhead is the “talking solution” with PlayStation
Until Friday, Helldivers 2 was a notable win for SIE, earning Game of the Year notice for its excellent engagement with the community. It has been one of the best-selling games of 2024 so far, with An estimated 8 million copies have been sold as of March 2024. Now its future may be in doubt as fans suddenly turn on the hugely popular game.
Is this the right moment to tweet “What? You guys don’t have phones?” 😵💫
Serious note: We’re talking about solutions with PlayStation, especially for non-PSN countries. Your voice has been heard, and I’m doing everything I can to speak up for the community – but I don’t have the final decision…
– Plestedt (@Plestedt) May 5, 2024
Amid the outrage, Billstedt said Arrowhead is working on a solution, but the studio doesn’t have the final say.
“Is this the right moment to tweet ‘what? You guys don’t have phones?'” Billstedt asked on X/Twitter, referring to The famous reveal of Diablo Immortal. “Serious note: We’re talking about solutions with PlayStation, especially for non-PSN countries. Your voice has been heard, and I’m doing everything I can to speak up for the community – but I don’t have the last word.”
The Arrowhead CEO, who has been actively interacting with fans since the launch of Helldivers 2, has been somber and even a bit poetic since the controversy began. “Waking up to yesterday’s sunshine replaced by a dreary drizzle and quivering wind makes me think of how I spent my time in those few rare moments when all was well.”
“However, rain is necessary for growth which changes spring into summer. I just have to wait for the sunshine to return.”
Kat Bailey is IGN’s news director and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Do you have any advice? Send her a direct message at @the_katbot.
