'Helldivers 2' Isn't Available on Steam in Certain Regions Following Controversy

'Helldivers 2' went from the preferred co-op game of 2024 to the most arguable and was removed from Steam as a result of it.

May 7 2024, Published 10:07 a.m. ET

The international of gaming came out swinging in early 2024. In past due January, Palworld was launched for early get admission to on Xbox and Steam to massive good fortune due to its satirical tackle Pokémon. The following February saw the releases of 2 highly expected RPG titles with Persona 3 Reload and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, both of which gained glowing evaluations. But even in a year of exciting recreation releases right off the bat, Helldivers 2 controlled to hit breakout good fortune upon its Feb. 8, 2024, unencumber.

The common co-op shooter title has avid gamers workforce up with each and every different as they spread their ideals of democracy all through the universe while waging battle against killer cyborgs and extraterrestrial beings.

Helldivers 2 was launched on PlayStation 5 and PC and bought greater than 8 million devices in its first two months of liberate. It may have easily been a heartwarming Cinderella story for the dev staff at Arrowhead Game Studios, however surprising next controversy caused the sport to be removed from Steam. Here's what came about.

Why was 'Helldivers 2' removed from Steam in positive regions?

Although Helldivers 2 was already reveling in good fortune and well-liked recognition following its launch in February, public opinion briefly became against the sport in early May 2024. On May 3, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that the PC model of the sport would require players to sign in with a PlayStation Network (PSN) account to proceed enjoying on their PCs and Steam accounts. The next backlash was swift and ruthless.

Current PC gamers were not happy with the mandate that they would want to create an account for a console they didn't necessarily personal as a way to continue their Helldivers 2 progress on a fully separate platform. Worse still, PSN is not even available in certain areas of the world. This would have intended that gamers without access to PSN don't have been able to play Helldivers 2 at all on their PCs.

In reaction to this controversial move, Steam removed the game's listing from its store web page in the 177 territories where PSN isn't available. This adopted the previous efforts made by way of the participant base and Steam to protest the mandate, which incorporated review bombing the sport and even issuing refunds.

'Helldivers 2' players on Steam were granted refunds for the sport.

In the wake of the brand new mandate, Steam began issuing complete refunds to any Helldivers 2 house owners who wanted them, irrespective of how lengthy they've played the game. Steam in most cases most effective gives complete refunds on games so long as shoppers have logged two hours of playtime or much less, however it outmoded this coverage for displeased Helldivers 2 enthusiasts.

Amid the entire backlash, Sony in the end introduced on May 6 that the PSN account mandate would no longer be shifting forward and that linking would be not obligatory. The announcement was met with common aid, with few extra relieved than Helldivers 2 inventive director Johan Pilestedt, who had been in talks with Sony to thrust back in opposition to the mandate.

In reaction to Sony's new announcement, Johan tweeted, "I want to thank our partners and friends at PlayStation for quickly and effectively making the decision to leave PSN linking optional. We together want to set a new standard for what a live game is and how developers and community can support each other to create the best game experiences."

Helldivers 2 is currently available on PlayStation 5 and PC.

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