Sony Interactive will not be linking Helldivers 2 on PC to PlayStation Network accounts after more than 200 thousand negative reviews and the game’s removal from Steam in more than 170 regions. The need to register with PSN would have made the game unavailable in many countries.
«Helldivers fans — we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking issue. The May 6 update that would have required Steam and PlayStation Network account linking for new and existing players starting May 30 will not be moving forward. We are still learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable. Thank you again for your continued support of Helldivers 2, we will keep you updated on future plans».
Arrowhead CEO Johan Pylestedt, who previously apologized to the game’s fans for the situation, said that Arrowhead discussed the decision with PlayStation, after which it was reversed. Pylestedt also says that it was his decision to disable account linking during the launch of Helldivers 2 to attract more players.
«I played my part. I’m not blameless in all of this — it was my decision to disable account linking at launch so that players could play the game. I didn’t make sure players were aware of this requirement and we didn’t talk about it enough. We knew about 6 months before launch that this would be mandatory for PS» online games.
After Sony’s announcement, fans expressed hope that the scandalous requirement would not be imposed in future games. Also, some players called for not to get angry at Arrowhead because the «studio was caught in the crossfire of».
Source: IGN