The debacle surrounding the imminent obligation to link Steam and PlayStation accounts continues. Now the Arrowhead boss is speaking out
Instead Very positive
suddenly Mostly negative
– if Steam user reviews take such a nosedive within a few days, something must have happened.
In the case of Helldivers 2 the reason is easy to find: Many players of the multiplayer shooter are still annoyed about the imminent obligation to link their Steam account with a PlayStation account (we reported).
This is why Helldivers 2 is currently experiencing a massive crash on Steam, which the head of developer Arrowhead has now personally commented on.
I think this is justified
Instead of getting lost in PR-speak or minimizing the fans’ displeasure, Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt’s reaction on X (formerly Twitter) is completely different:
Ouch, straight into the review score😢🤕.
Well, I think that’s justified. I’m sorry to everyone for how the whole thing went down. I hope we can make amends and earn back your trust by continuing to provide a great gaming experience.
I just want to make great games!
Pilestedt even understands the anger of the players and even describes the total drop in ratings as justified
– a look at the review section on Steam shows just how passionately heated the mood in the community is.
In a further tweet Pilestedt also refers to the fact that there had already been a corresponding reference to the PlayStation account link since the release of Helldivers 2 However, he also asserts here that communication was suboptimal.
Sony also responds – but not as hoped
The crash on Valve’s platform can almost be described as dramatic: According to SteamDB a whopping 114,303 negative reviews were written on Saturday, May 4, 2024 alone, to get Arrowhead and publisher Sony to relent after all.
The Japanese company has now reacted, but probably not in the way Helldivers fans would have liked. Sony has apparently quietly changed its own FAQs on the subject of account linking.
An X user has noted the change:
Ouch, right in the review score 😢🤕
Well, I guess it’s warranted. Sorry everyone for how this all transpired. I hope we will make it up and regain the trust by providing a continued great game experience.
I just want to make great games! pic.twitter.com/EPO7apDUlc
– Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 3, 2024
Where it previously stated that logging into the PlayStation Network (PSN for short) on the PC was optional, the section now reads differently:
Some games may require you to sign in and link to a PSN account.
There already seems to be some positive news: Helldivers fans living in countries where PSN accounts cannot be created will probably not have to miss out on the shooter.
This is suggested by a Discord message from Community Manager Spitz (via Play3), which explains that Arrowhead and Sony are currently discussing the issue and are probably looking for a solution.
Update from May 5, 08:45 am: In the meantime, sales of Helldivers 2 have been discontinued in countries without a PSN account option, as a look at SteamDB reveals. Whether this is just a temporary measure or whether Sony will actually exclude players in these countries in the future is still unclear.
Helldivers 2 is and remains a hot topic of conversation, but not because of the action on, but off the battlefield. How Arrowhead and Sony will proceed in this matter remains to be seen.
The scheduled date for the introduction of mandatory accounts is May 6, 2024, so it’s only a matter of time before we hear something new – be it good or bad for fans.
