Sony has made an important decision and responded to the concerns of the Helldivers 2 community. They have canceled their plans to force a mandatory connection between the PlayStation Network (PSN) and Steam to play Helldivers 2.
As we reported at the end of last week, Helldivers fans were disappointed that Sony was making plans to enforce account linking. It seems there was an outcry in Sony’s boardrooms from the acclaimed game’s fanbase.
Sony will unlink the Helldivers 2 account
The original statement released by Sony on Steam was negatively received by the Helldivers 2 community. The decision seemed to receive little attention, and its binding nature and enforcement did little to entice players to set up a PSN account.
When the game launched, there was no mandatory requirement to have a linked PSN and Steam account. Sony never indicated that this was their intention. The original concerns and driving force behind the move were obscured by “security issues.”
As a result, players started canceling their time with Helldivers 2. Arrowhead, the studio responsible for Helldivers 2, was thrilled by negative reviews, and other Arrowhead-developed titles began to be aggressively bombarded with reviews.
This forced Sony to publicly announce the turnaround, which was a significant win for the gaming community and Arrowhead Studios. Sony posted about X:
Helldivers fans – we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking update. The May 6 update, which would have required Steam and PlayStation Network accounts to be linked for new players and for current players starting May 30, will not continue.
We’re still…
– PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 6, 2024
Arrowhead is synonymous with positive messages as well as anti-cheat and non-pay-to-win features in its games. This gave the studio a respected place in gamers’ minds and a cult following for Arrowhead’s Johan Pilestedt, the studio’s loud CEO. He replied to Sony’s post: saying:
“First, I am impressed by the willpower of the @helldivers2 community and your ability to work together. Secondly, I would like to thank our partners and friends at @PlayStation for quickly and effectively making the decision to keep PSN linking optional. Together we want to set a new standard for what a live game is and how developers and the community can support each other to create the best gaming experiences.”
Concerns about cross-platform security disappear
Interestingly, the original Sony post also states that security concerns were the reason for the mandatory step: “Account linking plays a critical role in protecting our players and upholding the values of security offered by PlayStation and PlayStation Studios games However, given the decision to reverse account linking plans, these concerns appear to be unfounded and may have been a Trojan horse to lure Steam users into crossing the digital divide to PSN.
Fans of Helldivers 2 are in for a treat, as the title’s success has contributed to Sony’s biggest Steam launch ever. They have also built a vibrant Discord community and maintain a close relationship with Pilestedt, who constantly interacts with fans.
Therefore, Sony’s decision to reverse these plans will be seen as a significant victory not only for the war for Super Earth, but also for ethical gaming prospects and dealing with a loyal and lucrative fan base.
Image: Arrowhead Studios.