The recent announcement that Helldivers 2 players on PC would need to link their Steam account to a PlayStation Network (PSN) account has caused quite a stir in the gaming community. Just two days after this news broke, the game received a staggering 100,000 new negative reviews on Steam. Arrowhead, the developers behind the game, have come forward to address the backlash and express their regret over the situation.
Johan Pilestedt, the CEO and creative director of Arrowhead game Studio, took to Twitter to acknowledge the impact of the negative reviews on the game’s overall rating. He expressed his apologies to the players and emphasized his commitment to providing a great gaming experience. Despite his efforts to reassure the community, the recent reviews on Steam have shifted from ‘Mostly Positive’ to ‘Mostly Negative’, with only 59% of reviews being positive overall.
The mandatory requirement to link PSN accounts has sparked a range of concerns among players. From inconvenience to privacy issues, players have voiced their opposition to this change. Some players in regions without PSN coverage find themselves in a difficult situation, as signing up for a PSN account from a different region would violate Sony’s terms of service.
Arrowhead’s community manager, Spitz, addressed these concerns on the Helldivers Discord, stating that the decision to implement this change was made by Sony, not by the developers themselves. He reassured players that discussions are ongoing internally to find better alternatives for those affected by this requirement. Spitz emphasized that they do not intend to force players to compromise their adherence to Sony’s terms of service in order to play the game.
In recent years, Sony has been expanding its reach to the PC gaming market by bringing more of their console-exclusive titles to the platform. While Helldivers 2 is unique in this regard as a simultaneous release on both PC and PlayStation platforms, the unnecessary account linking has overshadowed its success. The game has been a commercial hit, ranking as the seventh highest grossing Sony published game of all time, with a significant portion of sales coming from the PC player base.
The unnecessary account linking requirement enforced by Sony has marred what would otherwise be a stellar gaming experience for Helldivers 2 players. As the negative reviews continue to pour in, Arrowhead is left to pick up the pieces and salvage their reputation among the gaming community. Moving forward, it will be essential for developers to listen to player feedback and find solutions that prioritize the player experience without compromising on privacy and user convenience. Only time will tell if Helldivers 2 can recover from this misstep and regain the trust of its player base.
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