The blockbuster addition of Arrowhead Game Studios, Helldivers 2, is also not immune to the wave of criticism. Yeah, this is a PSN requirement for the game’s Steam version, and although it was abandoned after harsh reactions, many countries have not yet regained their democracy.
For those who don’t know, a PSN requirement was imposed on the PC version of Helldivers 2 in May, leading to its delisting from Steam in 177 countries. This has been a critical blow to the title’s loyal fan base, and unfortunately, things are still not quite back to normal.
Things Are Still Not Well for the Helldivers 2 Steam Version
Arrowhead and Sony removed the PSN requirement after the game received more than 230 thousand negative reviews on Steam in just two days, causing its rating to drop from “mostly positive” to “extremely negative” on the platform. Steam even issued refunds to some players at that time.
However, despite all this, more than three months have passed, and countries that cannot use PSN still cannot access the game. Many folks express their complaints, saying that democracy has been won on social media platforms such as Reddit, but they are not free to do the same.
It seems that fans in countries where PSN is not available have no chance of getting back in to the game. In fact, when this case emerged, a fan went to X to say, ‘PlayStation Network is not available in my country: what do I do?’ Johan Pilestedt, the CEO of Arrowhead, and creative director of the game replied, ‘I don’t know.’
Months later Helldivers 2 is still delisted on Steam
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Therefore, when will the PSN ban for Helldivers 2 be completely over and democracy attain global coverage? Sadly, we have not been able to get clear explanations on the subject from any source.
However, according to fans’ guesses, Sony’s reason for requiring PSN is that it is technically not suitable for doing business in countries where this network is not supported. For this reason, the studio focuses more on countries where it does business officially, avoiding inspections and taxes in the other regions.
Helldivers 2 PSN Drama Drops Player Count on PC
Helldivers 2 could not rise back to its previous successful run, particularly on the side of PC, after the implementation of the PSN requirement. The game, which had between 100-200K concurrent players on Steam when this decision was first announced, now has a paltry 32K players at the most in the last 24 hours.
The financial reports that Sony last shared in May show that Helldivers 2 has managed to sell 12 million copies to date. Despite all the criticism, these numbers are said to be increasing day by day. It is also noted that the game has surpassed the record set by God of War Ragnarök, which was launched in 2022, in the same period after its release.
After all this, if PlayStation won’t drop the PSN requirement, maybe it’s time for them to ship Helldivers 2 onto Xbox after all.
So, what do you think about the Helldivers 2 PSN decision? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
