Helldivers 2 Pulled From 177 Countries Due to PSN Linking Requirement, Arrowhead ‘Talking Solutions’

As reviews of Helldiver 2 continue to slump on Steam, Arrowhead’s best-selling action game has been removed from around 177 countries following the new PSN account linking requirement that upended its fan base.

Egypt, Georgia, Jamaica, and Morocco are some of the notable countries where Helldivers 2 can no longer be purchased due to PSN unavailability, causing confusion among fans. Japan is also one of the countries listed, but according to SteamDB it has a separate package and is still available, although users cannot purchase the “global version”.

Helldivers 2 is no longer purchasable in 177 countries where PSN is not available (but some are still available like the Baltics).

This game has now received 215,000 negative reviews. pic.twitter.com/jJrb9QFafR

– SteamDB (@SteamDB) May 5, 2024

Meanwhile, recent Helldivers 2 reviews on Steam are now “extremely negative” amid continued review bombardment from fans. Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilstedt apologized for the requirement in a statement posted to justified. Sorry everyone for how this all went down I hope we make up for it and regain the trust in delivering a continued great gaming experience. »

The controversy began on Friday when Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that the “grace period” during which Helldivers 2 did not need to be connected to a PSN account was ending. Starting May 6, all new Helldivers 2 players on Steam will need to connect their Steam account to PSN. Existing Steam players will start seeing a required login on May 30.

This demand sparked a massive online backlash against the SIE that continued throughout the weekend.

“What a clusterf*ck,” wrote indie developer Rami Ismail on X/Twitter. “For all my criticism of Steam, it’s incredible that they choose to take over Sony’s nonsense to ensure that no one is left with an unusable game due to extremely limited accessibility of the Playstation globally. Absolutely terrible decision making on Sony’s part.

PlayStation has yet to respond to the account linking controversy.

Arrowhead ‘talks solutions’ with PlayStation

Until Friday, Helldivers 2 was a notable victory for SIE, winning Game of the Year for its excellent community engagement. It is one of the best-selling games of 2024 so far, with around 8 million copies sold as of March 2024. Its future may now be uncertain as fans abruptly turn to this incredibly popular game .

Is it time to tweet “What? You don’t have a phone?” 😵‍💫

More seriously: we are discussing solutions with PlayStation, particularly for non-PSN countries. Your voice has been heard and I’m doing everything I can to speak on behalf of the community – but I don’t have the last word…

– Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 5, 2024

Amid the anger, Pilestedt said Arrowhead was working on a solution, but the studio didn’t have the final say.

“Is this the time to tweet ‘What? You don’t have a phone?'” Pilestedt asked on X/Twitter, referencing the infamous Diablo Immortal reveal. “Seriously: We are discussing solutions with PlayStation, particularly for non-PSN countries. Your voice has been heard and I am doing everything I can to speak on behalf of the community, but I do not have the final say. “

The Arrowhead CEO, who has been actively engaging with fans since the launch of Helldivers 2, has been morose and even a little poetic since the controversy began. “Waking up with yesterday’s sunshine replaced by moody drizzle and chilling winds makes me reflect on how I spent my time, those rare moments when everything was perfect.”

“Still, rain is essential for growth and it’s what turns spring into summer. I’ll just have to wait for the sun to come back.”

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Do you have any advice? Send him a DM at @the_katbot.