Following the news that Helldivers 2 on PC will soon require a PlayStation Network account to play, the community reacted by review bombing the Steam page. Whereas the game previously enjoyed a Very Positive aggregate user score, it has now dropped to Mixed for overall reviews and Mostly Negative for recent reviews. In the span of a few hours, over 57K negative reviews have been left for Helldivers 2 on Steam.
This is, of course, far from unexpected. PC games have long since suffered from review bombing on Steam, with notable examples like Total War: Rome II, Monster Hunter World, Overwatch 2, and Diablo IV. Valve even had to introduce features that help users make sense of such instances.
However, as we mentioned in yesterday's report, Sony did say from the beginning that Helldivers 2 would require a PSN account, even if they didn't act on it right away. What's the outrage all about, then?
Well, as it turns out, the main issue is that the PlayStation Network is only available in 69 countries, whereas Steam's global reach is much wider. This means a lot of customers who purchased the game might find themselves locked out of the ability to play unless they are willing to register as gamers from another country, which comes with its own risks of a ban from the PSN. Helldivers 2 Game Director and Arrowhead boss Johan Pilestedt has acknowledged the issue via his Twitter account.
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!
Pilestedt also mentioned that the aforementioned situation of folks not being able to properly sign up for the PlayStation Network from certain countries is currently being discussed with Sony to find a solution. Cross-progression between PC and PlayStation 5 is under evaluation as well.
A recent rumor suggested Sony may be considering an Xbox port for Helldivers 2. If that were the case, though, would Xbox players be required to sign up for the PSN?
In related news, it was just confirmed that Ghost of Tsushima will also require a PSN account on PC, but only for the multiplayer component (the Legends mode).
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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