Highlights

  • Helldivers 2's controversial update requires PC players to link to a PSN account, sparking protests and potential backlash from the community.
  • Concerns include region-locking for players in countries without PSN access, as well as worries over data security due to Sony's past breaches.
  • Players are review-bombing and boycotting the game in hopes of influencing Arrowhead Games and Sony to reconsider the mandatory PSN account link.

Helldivers 2 has managed to develop a surprisingly large community of dedicated fans in the short time since its release. However, backlash concerning an upcoming update for the game has ultimately put the future of Helldivers 2 in a fragile situation. The specific update that has rattled Helldivers 2’s community is that the game will soon require players who own the game on PC to link their game to a PlayStation Network account.

If everything goes according to the original announcement for this update, players will need to link their progress to a PSN account to continue playing the game on PC. However, considering the community’s explicit protests of this change, this controversial Helldivers 2 update may or may not go through as planned.

Helldivers 2 player checking Major Order
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Future updates for Heldivers 2 should address a growing problem in the game before it eventually spirals into a much larger issue.

According to the announcement from Helldivers 2’s Steam page, a PSN account is required to allow the developers at Arrowhead Games Studios to ban malicious players, and to also allow players to appeal in-game bans. A PSN account will be required for all new players as of May 6, 2024, and the deadline for existing players to link to a PSN account will be June 4, 2024. Players who don’t link their Helldivers 2 account progress to a PSN account will presumably be unable to play the game.

Despite Helldivers 2 stating that linking a PSN account was always a requirement to play the game on PC, there is currently a grace period where players don’t have to do this, which led players to believe that this setting was optional. So, many players began playing the game during this time without ever needing or having a PSN account.

Before the announcement of this update for Helldivers 2 , PSN’s FAQs stated that linking a PSN account to play PlayStation games on a PC was optional, and since then, players have discovered that PSN’s FAQs have been changed , which has only fueled the flames of this controversy.

One of the main concerns that players have with the mandatory PSN account link for PC players in this upcoming Helldivers 2 update is that this will region-lock the game from countries where PSN isn’t available. What makes this especially problematic is that there were no measures in place to prevent players who live in these regions from purchasing the game. Consequently, players who live in these regions will be unable to play Helldivers 2 when this update goes live, due to not being able to link the game to a PSN account.

Another reason why gamers are protesting Helldivers 2’s mandatory PSN account link is out of concern for the security of their data. Sony has had a rough history of being the victim of external data breaches in recent years that resulted in users' information being stolen. In 2023 alone, Sony experienced two separate data breaches, with several more occurring throughout the last decade.

Why is Helldivers 2 Being Review-Bombed?

In light of the rather unfortunate consequences of Helldivers 2 requiring PC players to link to a PSN account, players have been protesting this update in the hope of getting Arrowhead Games Studios and Sony to rescind this update before it goes live in the game. On top of raising awareness across social media platforms, players have begun to take other actions, such as giving Helldivers 2 a negative review, requesting a refund for the game, and/or boycotting the game until this situation comes to a favorable outcome.

By now, Arrowhead Games Studios has already acknowledged players' review-bombing and protesting of Helldivers 2’s future update and communicated that this update is being reconsidered. What this ultimately means remains to be seen, though it’s clear that players’ responses to the announcement of this update are actively influencing the situation.