It’s not a good time to be a Helldivers 2 developer. The game is under a lot of fire from fans and the gaming community at large for the recent announcement. The studio is catching a lot of heat for this unfortunate turn of events, which appears to be more of a decision from Sony.
Given that it’s a decision taken by the corporate entity rather than the creative team directly linked to the game, there’s little to no chance for it to be repealed. With just a couple of more days left before the grace period ends, Helldivers 2 fans are now bidding goodbye to their fight for Super Earth.
PlayStation Announces New Account Linking Rules for Helldivers 2
Companies usually like to have a degree of control over how their user base can experience their product. This is especially true in online gaming, with multiple layers of control dictating the player’s digital interactions. However, these systems are usually in place, or at least announced, when the game launches. That’s what makes Sony’s current decision so frustrating.
Helldivers! An important message from our partner Playstation about account linking for PC players and its significance in providing player safety features.
— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) May 3, 2024
Read the full message here: https://t.co/L1A9jv8yBf pic.twitter.com/q3eXKbtoNB
The Helldivers 2 official X page has released a statement detailing the new rules for Steam players. While the company had allowed for a grace period for the linking of Steam accounts to PlayStation Network accounts, that period will end on May 6.
The notice goes on to say this decision is being taken to enhance player security and safety, which some have said is just a way to farm more user data. PlayStation may say it’s a move to facilitate banning abusive players, but the users are not happy with this outcome.
Well, it was a helluva run. https://t.co/YTtL1em3N0
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 3, 2024
Others have said it should be an entirely optional feature, and it’s a bad idea to burn player capital on this.
What a very interesting thing to burn player capital on… It should be entirely optional and not mandatory anything that gates the player experience behind process runs the risk of technical issue as well as sentiment issues.
— Cory Niblett (@PR3SIDENT) May 3, 2024
One fan is wondering if PC players are going to bend the knee to Sony or abandon the game they paid for altogether.
Sony will learn a lot about PC Players here, well hopefully anyway. Hundreds of thousands of players will launch Helldivers next week and won't be able to play their own game they already purchased, will they sign up to PSN or just bail? Fascinated to see how it unfolds! Silly!
— Lewrian (@Lewlian) May 3, 2024
The decision has split the fan base. One side claims it is an unnecessary step being used to farm data and give PlayStation complete control. The other is saying the move was inevitable, as the game prompts you to link the accounts whenever you boot it up.
Some Players May Never Get to Play the Game Again
It should be noted that PlayStation Network is only available in 69 countries. That means people from countries such as Egypt and Belarus who purchased Helldivers 2 on Steam will lose access after the grace period. Given that, it might make sense why Sony and Arrowhead may be using bots to stem the tide of negative sentiments.
It’s not uncommon for games to require specific accounts for access to online services. However, that is usually in place when the game is initially launched. Demanding players link their accounts after the game is always going to draw the frustration of gamers.
The title has been pulling in thousands of concurrent players daily, but we may see those numbers drop severely after the grace period. Only time will tell if people are going to agree to Sony’s demands or if the Helldivers 2 wave has finally ended.
Do you feel Arrowhead and Sony are shooting themselves in the foot? Let us know your comments below!
