Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt spoke out on Twitter/X and admitted that he is partly responsible for the current “Helldivers 2” disaster.
“Helldivers 2” is on everyone's lips. After the huge successes that have been impressive since February, an announcement in the last two days has caused a stir. PC gamers should have their Link your account to the PlayStation Networkwhich some players cannot easily do for technical reasons and others don't want to do on principle.
Advertisement
But who is to blame for this PR disaster? The main reason that speaks against the link has been criminally neglected: the PlayStation Network is not available in all countries.
Arrowhead is partly responsible
Over the weekend, some statements from the community manager Spitz, who is mainly on Discord, came through Sony shifted responsibility and emphasized that Arrowhead was on the side of the players and that they would strengthen the developers' influence at Sony “through reviews, refunds, etc.” Since then he has been silent on Discord and his profile picture has also been deleted.
In fact, Arrowhead is partly responsible for the current situation. This is what the statements of studio boss Johan Pilestedt indicate.
“I have my share here. I'm not blameless in all of this – it was my decision to disable account linking at launch so players could play the game. I did not ensure that players were aware of this requirement. And we haven’t talked about it enough,” said the Arrowhead CEO.
Advertisement
Added: “We knew about 6 months before launch that this would be mandatory for PS Online titles.”
Based on this, the question arises as to why “Helldivers 2” was even sold in countries where PlayStation Network is not officially available. To this Pilestedt replied: “The sale of the game is not our responsibility.” As is well known, it is the responsibility of the publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Later, the CEO responded to a question from a gamer who wanted to know what he could do since the PlayStation Network was not available in his country. “I have no idea,” is the reply.
Solutions for non-PSN countries are now being discussed
The turbulence surrounding the PSN requirement for “Helldivers 2” is a PR disaster that will have to be dealt with in the coming days and weeks.
On the one hand, such account linking is a legitimate means that also affects other games. But the fact that basic requirements such as the availability of the PlayStation Network were not taken into account makes an IP whose Sales were most recently ahead of “Call of Duty”.a rather amateurish impression.
The responsible support team also seems overwhelmed and unprepared, so Sony would be well advised to limit the damage in the coming week and lift the account requirement until a fully developed solution is available – at least in countries without a PlayStation Network.
At least discussions are taking place afterwards: “We are talking to PlayStation about solutions, especially for non-PSN countries,” emphasizes Pilestedt. “Your voice has been heard, and I’m doing everything I can to speak for the community – but I don’t have the final say.”
Sometimes you need rain…
Pilestedt also seems to see the disaster from the positive side. And that's how he became on Twitter/X a little philosophical.
“When I wake up and yesterday's sunshine is replaced by dull drizzle and shivering wind, I think about how I spent my time in the few moments when everything was perfect,” he said.
“But rain is important for growth and turns spring into summer. I’ll just have to wait for the sun to return.”
Further news about Helldivers 2.
Discuss this news in the PlayStation Forum
Links to Amazon, Media Markt, Saturn and some other retailers are usually affiliate links. When you make a purchase, we receive a small commission with which we can finance the free-to-use site. You have no disadvantages.