Helldivers 2 is still not out of the woods, not while the video game is still unavailable in the 177 countries that are out of PlayStation Network coverage. Director and Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pilestedt promises to undo the damage and reinstate the game.
Sony had a change of heart and retracted the initial decision to link the Steam account of PC players with a PlayStation Network account for moderation purposes. The company showed no remorse by removing the game in unsupported regions, leaving the players feeling abandoned.
Johan Pilestedt Wants to Make Helldivers 2 Available Everywhere
To no one’s surprise, the gaming community was extremely unhappy with the publisher’s mandate to link a PSN account with Steam to play the video game at a time when everything was going smoothly. Sony showed a tremendous lack of compassion and empathy by delisting the game in 177 regions where the PSN was unavailable or unsupported. Pilestedt made it his mission to undo the damage and reached out to his partners at Valve and PlayStation.
CEO Addresses Delisted Countries pic.twitter.com/4lHLvFdIAx
— Helldivers Alerts (@HelldiversAlert) May 9, 2024
While the universal success of the gaming community was a great feat, the fight is still far from over. Fans were hoping to reverse the censorship on Stellar Blade, but that seems like a tall order.
The community was delighted to see the company listen and teach them the hard way but it was just a phase as the company is still interested in shoving the requirement in other upcoming PC ports of first-party titles like Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut.
The whole controversy erupted when Sony announced the need to integrate accounts, which was an absolute risk for personal security and a hassle for far stricter regions like the United Kingdom where residents must provide a valid ID, an active phone number, or a facial scan. Even the director anticipated the backlash and expected the studio to take the fall when, in reality, they have no power or say in the decision.
Helldivers 2 Has a Long Recovery Road Ahead, and Johan Pilestedt Is Spearheading It
Sony had to learn the difficult way that the gaming community is a force to be reckoned with and they are not afraid to express their opinions, even if it means review bombing the game just to gain their attention. However, the effort did cost Spitz his position as a community manager after encouraging the community to do so, it ultimately worked in the favor of the developers and the player base.
Arrowhead Game Studios are the victims in this fiasco too, and the staff had to be ridiculed, and the studio was dragged in the mud. Pilestedt was helpless and hoped the situation would be resolved in a manner that would benefit all parties.
Sony reversed the decision but the damage has already been done, and the community is already doing their part by removing the negative reviews. It is not too big of a request to ask Sony to do the same and meet them halfway. Johan Pilestedt is a man of the people and wants to give the community the best game possible.
What are your thoughts on the whole Helldivers 2 controversy? Let us know in the comments section below!
