A PSN connection is mandatory to use “Helldivers 2”. The announcement was not greeted with joy and review bombing began.
Update: The Steam user score for “Helldivers 2” has now experienced a complete crash. After the shooter was rated extremely positively for weeks, the reviews are now “mostly negative”.
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Yesterday players left almost 40,000 negative reviews, today there are already more than 17,000 thumbs pointing down. Johan Pilestedt, CEO of the responsible developer Arrowhead, also commented on the situation in the meantime.
“Well, I think it’s justified. I'm sorry to everyone for how this all turned out. I hope we can make amends and regain trust by continuing to provide a great gaming experience. I just want to make great games,” he said on Twitter/X.
Report from May 3, 2024: Published by Sony Interactive Entertainment “Helldivers 2” is getting a new “feature” on Steam. Players must link their account to a PlayStation Network account by May 6, 2024 if they are new to the shooter. Existing players will receive another grace period, like us in the course of the afternoon reported.
Even if the obligation to link accounts came as no surprise and so did such links not uncommon on consoles the announcement was met with a fan base that was anything but positive. A wave of review bombing started on Steam.
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Critical turnaround after PSN announcement: Helldivers 2 receives negative reviews
After “Helldivers 2” received “very positive” user ratings in the weeks after the launch phase, there was a significant downward trend today. At this point in time, around 8,000 of the reviews submitted today are negative – and the trend is rising rapidly. In comparison, there are only just over 500 positive ratings.
The Steam players give themselves some vent in the justifications. “I’m not a big fan of the mandatory PSN account linking they’re doing now…” reads one of the matter-of-fact posts. “Developers hate solo players. “Don’t even buy this game, it’s not worth it,” said another user who has spent more than 33 hours in “Helldivers 2”.
Players also want to demand refunds if the account requirement is not withdrawn: “If they really force me to create a PSN account, I have to have the game refunded. This is unacceptable.” This player also has more than 30 hours in “Helldivers 2”.
“Sony did it again and I need to link the account. “Will not continue playing until this is revoked,” says a Steam player with more than 100 hours under his belt.
“Compulsory accounts at Sony? Uninstall plus refund request. Hopefully the developers show some backbone and solidarity with the community. Or EU consumer rights prevent this…” said a fan after 200 hours in the shooter.
Steam players were initially spared for technical reasons
Ultimately, the link to the PlayStation Network comes as no surprise. When “Helldivers 2” was released for Steam and PS5 in February, there were “technical issues,” according to Arrowhead. The studio gave players a grace period before the PlayStation Network account becomes mandatory.
But why are the accounts linked at all? According to Arrowhead, this measure plays a role decisive role for the protection of players and for maintaining safety values. It is the “most important means of protecting players from griefing and abuse”, as blocking and objection options would be more effective.
Even independently of “Helldivers 2”, the PlayStation Network will be anchored deeper in PlayStation games on the PC. We recently reported:
While some PC gamers are threatening to say goodbye to “Helldivers 2,” the next content is about to be released. One new war bond awaits defenders of managed democracy.
Further news about Helldivers 2.
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