Helldivers 2 Steam accounts will no longer have to be linked to the PlayStation Network, following significant backlash and criticism from the co-op shooter’s community. However, the game is still unavailable to purchase in over 170 countries – when the account linking was initially announced, Helldivers 2 was summarily removed from sale in any region where PlayStation Network is not available, and has not yet been reinstated. Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead, says the studio is now pushing Valve and Sony to have the game relisted.
On Friday May 3, Sony announced that Helldivers 2 Steam players would be required to connect their account to the PlayStation Network, as part of an effort to protect users from “griefing and abuse.” In the following days, HD2 was severely review bombed on Valve’s store, and as of Sunday May 5, the policy on mandatory account linking was reversed. As a result of the initial announcement however, the co-op game was pulled from sale in 177 countries where PlayStation Network is not available.
The shooter is still unavailable for purchase in these regions. Writing on the official Helldivers 2 Discord, Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt, also known simply as ‘Pilestedt.’ says they “won’t rest in my desire to have [Helldivers 2] available everywhere.”
While discussing the process of relisting Helldivers 2, Pilestedt also comments on Arrowhead’s efforts to remove the initial account linking. “Is there any news about the 177 countries delisted issue?” one player asks. “Sorry no,” the CEO replies. “I’m speaking to our partners at PlayStation and Valve and pushing for it to be undone. Getting the account linking took a Herculean effort. But I won’t rest in my desire to have it available everywhere.”
A new Helldivers 2 warbond was recently announced, but given what they describe as “negative sentiment around account linking,” Pilestedt has offered players the opportunity to vote via an X poll on whether the warbond should be delayed or released on schedule. As of this writing, Thursday May 9, Helldivers 2 fans have voted 73.9% in favor of releasing the new warbond as planned.
If you’re still fighting the good fight for galactic suprema- I mean, democracy, get the best Helldivers 2 stratagems. The best Helldivers 2 weapons have also been updated, so make sure your arsenal is as strong as possible.
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