Earlier this week, Helldivers 2 players on PC were informed that they would soon be required to link their Steam account to a PlayStation Network (PSN) account. However, just two days later, the game received a staggering 100,000 new negative reviews on Steam.
In response to the backlash, Arrowhead developers have expressed support for the players. CEO and creative director Johan Pilestedt tweeted an apology, acknowledging the impact on the game’s review score and promising to regain players’ trust.
The mandatory linking change has sparked internal discussions within the development team, with Arrowhead community manager Spitz confirming that the decision was made by Sony, not Arrowhead. Players have raised concerns about the requirement, citing inconvenience, data collection, and privacy issues. Particularly, players in regions without PSN coverage face difficulties complying with the new rule.
Despite the controversy, Helldivers 2 has been a successful cross-platform release, with substantial sales on PC. However, the unnecessary account requirement has soured the player experience, prompting the development team to reconsider alternatives for affected players.
Vocabulary List:
- Backlash (noun): A strong negative reaction to a decision or event.
- Staggering (adjective): Very surprising or shocking.
- Inconvenience (noun): Something that causes trouble or difficulty.
- Complying (verb): Acting in accordance with a rulerequestor demand.
- Soured (verb): Made less pleasant spoiled.
- Alternative (noun): One of two or more possibilities or choices.
