Following the massive backlash that occurred just days ago, Helldivers 2 has now been removed from sale in approximately 176 regions around the world.
On Friday, Sony announced that all players would require a PlayStation Network account linked to their Steam account to play Helldivers 2 on PC. While this was technically already mandatory and was marked on the game’s store page months prior to launch, it was made optional at launch owing to technical issues, meaning people can play for months without needing a PSN account.
Arrowhead, the developer of the game, has made it abundantly clear through Discord, Twitter/X and other social media accounts that reactivating the requirement was not their call. However, Arrowhead’s CEO does take responsibility, admitting that it was his decision to disable the requirement at launch so that people could play properly and could have done more to make people aware.
I do have a part to play. I am not blameless in all of this – it was my decision to disable account linking at launch so that players could play the game. I did not ensure players were aware of the requirement and we didn’t talk about it enough.
We knew for about 6 months before…
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 5, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The community response has been overwhelmingly negative, including the game receiving hundreds of thousands of negative reviews on Steam which has changed its overall rating to mixed. Despite this, the actual player numbers have remained steady, but that may change when the PSN requirement comes into full effect.
There are various reasons for the backlash, from general annoyance at having to create another account to concerns surrounding data safety. But one of the biggest causes of worry is that PSN is only available in a relatively small selection of 69 countries worldwide, considerably fewer than the regions in which Helldivers 2 has been sold. The only way to access PSN in those countries is to use a VPN and provide false information, both of which can get you banned.
In short, anyone who has bought and played the game outside of the 69 countries where PSN can be accessed will find themselves locked out of Helldivers 2.
It’s unclear whether Sony or even Steam have taken this step, but Helldivers 2 has been delisted from approximately 176 regions, all of which do not have access to the PlayStation Network. Of course, it goes without saying that this should have been done since day 1 because while Helldivers 2 did clearly list a PSN account as a requirement, it was still sold in regions that could not legally access the PlayStation Network.
We can at least rule out Arrowhead as the reason for the change, because in replying to another X user who asked why they sold the game in regions where PSN is inaccessible, Arrowhead’s CEO stated that, “We do not handle selling the game.”
It would seem the most likely culprit is Sony themselves, perhaps as a way to cover all their bases legally. According to a Reddit post, Sony also altered their FAQ to say that “Some PlayStation games may require you sign in and link to an account for PSN.” It previously read: “Signing in to PSN is optional when playing a PlayStation game on PC.” While any company can alter its FAQ and even its EULA at any time, it’s still not a great look for Sony.
Speaking of which, people are claiming that Sony could be open to legal action, but that seems unlikely because, as stated, the need for a PSN account was clearly shown on the Steam page months before the game launched, and players were prompted to make one when firing up Helldivers 2.
Regardless of the legality though, I think the players are right to push back. While the requirement was there, it was not enforced. In legal terms, if the terms of a contract are not enforced, it can be viewed as the company essentially ratifying this “new” version.
There have been reports on Reddit of people successfully claiming refunds for Helldivers 2, even with hundreds of hours of playtime. I also have no doubt that if you live in a region where the game has been delisted Steam will provide a refund. If that’s the case, Sony will be sent the bill for the refunds and Steam will still keep their slice of the pie.
I personally think Sony will walk this decision back as the PSN requirement doesn’t seem worth the PR backlash, even if it was clearly marked as mandatory and Sony are legally okay to do it. Most of Helldivers 2’s success has gone from PC gamers, and so whether this level of ire is justified or not, its senseless to piss them off over something that doesn’t benefit Sony all that much.
#Helldivers #removed #sale #regions
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