Helldivers 2 Steam version has been removed in over 100 countries over the weekend, following the game’s sudden requirement of a PSN account to access the game.
The affected countries are specifically ones without official PlayStation Network support- as a pre-emptive measure against people buying a game they can’t otherwise play.
These countries include Pakistan, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Maldives, and the full list can be viewed on the game’s SteamDB page.
Meanwhile, it’s been reported that Valve is also extending its refund policy for Helldivers 2 Steam release, letting players refund the game even if they’ve played more than the platform’s usual 2-hour window.
Reversal of Goodwill On The Helldivers 2 Steam Page
Helldivers 2 has undergone a total 180 on its goodwill, drawing scorn where once was one of the most beloved games of 2024.
In an update on Steam, the game mentions that players on PC would now need to sign up for a PSN account to continue playing.
The feature was previously optional, but the update cites it as a mere grace period because the service wasn’t functional.
“Due to technical issues at the launch of HELLDIVERS™ 2, we allowed the linking requirements for Steam accounts to a PlayStation Network account to be temporarily optional. That grace period will now expire”, the statement reads.
PlayStation had given fans until June 4th to create PSN accounts to keep playing the Helldivers 2 Steam version.
Arrowhead games CEO Johann Pilestedt clarified on Twitter that this decision wasn’t Arrowhead Games’ to make- rather it was from the publisher, PlayStation.
“We are talking solutions with PlayStation, especially for non-PSN countries. Your voice has been heard, and I am doing everything I can to speak for the community – but I don’t have the final say”, he says.
Following the new requirements, the game is now sitting at overwhelmingly negative on recent reviews for Steam, with All-Time being at mixed.
Prior to this, the game had been PlayStation’s most successful PC launch to date- driven by the game’s meta narrative and day 1 crossplay.
