Helldivers 2 is a game about endless war and now its fan base finds itself in a similar situation as a civil war rages between players after changes to the way the hugely popular online shooter works on PC.
On the 3rd of May that was announced Helldivers 2 Players on PC You may need to create a free PlayStation Network account to continue playing the game on Steam. While the game’s Steam page always stated that a PSN account was required to play, Sony and Arrowhead had disabled this requirement due to server issues and the fact that players were unable to link their accounts. But now that the dust has settled and things are (mostly) stable, the PSN requirement will soon be enforced. Starting May 6th, new players will be required to have a PSN account to play. In the meantime, existing players have until June 4th.
This account linking announcement triggered a large-scale civil war Hell diver Some believe it’s no big deal, while others claim it would completely bring down the popular sci-fi co-op shooter on PC. The war has spread to Reddit, Discord, Twitter and everywhere else Helldivers 2 gather online. It’s arguably the first time the community has been divided in this way, and the first truly negative event the popular shooter has faced since its release earlier this year.
The two sides in the Helldivers 2 Civil War
Looking online, there are generally two sides to the war. A group made up mostly of PlayStation gamers argues that while this requirement is a bit annoying, it’s not a big deal. They say that many games require a third-party account, the Steam page always lists the PSN account requirement, and getting a PlayStation account is quick, easy and free.
The other side, made up mostly of PC gamers or PC gamers, thinks this requirement is nonsense. They point out that while the store has always mentioned that the account is required, Sony hasn’t enforced this for months, which they say suggests it’s not required at all for the game to work and people Have fun playing together on PC and PSN. Some also don’t trust Sony with their information. And others point to a bigger problem: PSN is not legally available in all countries. Therefore, PC gamers in some parts of the world could be in for a treat Helldivers 2 forces you to have a PSN account to play.
On this last point, Arrowhead Games mentioned in the Helldivers 2 Discord said the decision to force players to have a PSN account came from Sony and that the company does not yet have full details on regional issues and is reviewing it. (Seems like something they wanted to figure out months ago…)
The two sides are divided not only over the PSN account issue, but also over old platform divisions. Beneath the surface, a proxy war rages between old PlayStation loyalists and disgruntled PC gamers who aren’t a fan of consoles or their audience. I’ve seen numerous posts on the game’s Discord server from PSN players joking that this is why they hate playing with PC players, and from Steam users suggesting that they are now PlayStation players during missions would kill.
The ruins of war
As you might expect, this war and its consequences have spread beyond angry messages and threads on Twitter. On Steam, Helldivers 2 now has a rating status of “Mixed”.something that seemed impossible just a few days ago.
This is a game that killed it, a rare example of a live service title done rightand a game that had a community that often loved it so much Role playing games online when replying to official posts and messages. The player base was united against the bots and the bugs, with a few strange exceptions. They fought side by side against threats large and small. They worked together to protect democracy. Now they are fighting each other. It’s the first time the community has truly been so divided, and I wonder when or if it will ever fully recover.
Now, Helldivers 2 is receiving numerous negative reviews on Steam, many of which are calling for a boycott of the game and suggesting that people ask Valve for a refund. Around 12 hours after the news broke, the game had already arrived over 10,000 new negative reviews on Steam.
Over there Hell diver Discord server, the situation has become a nightmare. Many players who aren’t involved in the online rant can’t enjoy chatting with fellow players because of all the spam, toxic messages, and insults. The game’s community managers jump from channel to channel, trying to prevent the war from infecting every part of the server, while angry players spread across the OffTopic channel to complain about Sony, PSN accounts, PC players and the Exchange future of the game.
I particularly feel bad for the community managers, as it appears that this announcement was not made by them and Sony – the company that ultimately owns the intellectual property – has not provided any further details to Arrowhead or its team. But it’s these poor souls who spend hours upon hours on Discord answering questions while angry players hurl insults and complaints at them.
“Until [Sony] If you would like to give us a more detailed answer, we will respond as best we can with the limited information we have. Should there have been an FAQ? Yes,” wrote community manager Twinbeard. In another post, Twinbeard also admitted that the whole situation “could have been handled better.”
On Twitter, the CEO of Arrowhead Games – Johan Pilestedt – wrote a few hours after the start of the civil war and the player uprisings:responded to the influx of negative reviews on Steam: “Ouch, right in the review.” He then delivered an open, honest and refreshingly transparent message to fans on both sides of the war.
“Well I think it’s justified,” Pilestedt tweeted. “I’m sorry to everyone about how this all turned out. I hope we can do it and regain trust by continuing to provide a great gaming experience. I just want to make great games!”
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