On May 2, 2024, Sony committed a grave error. Only a large firm with totally delusional executives could have made such a foolish choice. They attempted to coerce all Helldivers 2 players—including those who played on Steam—to get PSN accounts. They wouldn't be able to play at all otherwise. Furthermore, Helldivers 2 was delisted in those regions as PSN is not available in a lot of those nations. The player base's outrage over all of this has been understandable and so powerful that Sony has reversed their decision. For the time being.

The History of It All

On May 2, the news that anybody purchasing Helldivers 2 would need to have a PSN account connected to Steam in order to play would drop like a meteorite on the community. Everyone who owns the game would experience the same thing a few weeks later.

There are several reasons why this is wrong. First off, there are around 120 nations in which PSN is unavailable. It seems that Sony was very content to lose this demographic. However, individuals were quite irate even in nations where the service is offered. A lot of individuals vehemently objected to having a PSN account, particularly if it was required. It is a well-trusted fact that Sony's security is often erratic, which is the most frequently mentioned explanation. To be honest, however, not desiring it is sufficient excuse.

The Reasoning

Why Sony took this action is a mystery to everyone. Arrowhead had said from the beginning that the PSN would not be required until the servers were operational. They had always maintained that they would. Those who did notice this warning, I believe, were hoping Sony wouldn't be so stupid as to carry it out. You know, it's not often that a new intellectual property becomes this popular. Who would want to ruin a career like that? Obviously, a large firm.

Perhaps all they actually want is to sell your info. If the strange bottom line is your sole worry, then that would be more than enough justification. Or maybe, regardless of whether the accounts were paid for or not, Sony merely wanted to show off a large number of new PSN subscribers to potential investors. Maybe their goal was to get at least some of them to become paying clients. If all three were the case, I wouldn't be shocked. They were in for more, however.

The Flames Emerge

The community of Helldivers 2 was not going to take this lying down. They began submitting negative reviews in large quantities and demanding refunds, as is their consumer right, since that was the only thing they could do. We should always vote with our dollars, as capitalists constantly advise us to do. The fact that they even had Spitz, the community manager, on their side is remarkable. In the meanwhile, Arrowhead's CEO was effectively conveying that this was beyond of their purview. Because of this, the anger was directed solely against Sony, sparing the developers from too much damage.

How could one not be sympathetic to Arrowhead? After putting in a lot of effort to establish a new intellectual property, they succeeded, only to have their publishers immediately put a stop to it. However, the damage had already been done: the reviews were rapidly declining, reaching the level of Overwhelmingly Negative in Recent Reviews on Steam. And to add fuel to the already rising fire, Helldivers 2 was taken from the lists of all but twenty of the nations without PSN. And regardless of how much time was spent in-game, Steam was dishing out refunds left, right, and center. After all, the objections were justifiable.

The Breaks in Levy

Sony gave in after facing criticism from customers for a few days. On May 6, the official PlayStation account tweeted, "Helldivers lovers, we've heard your thoughts on the upgrade to the Helldivers 2 account connection. The May 6 upgrade, which required existing users to connect their Steam and PlayStation Network accounts starting on May 30 and for new players starting on May 6, will no longer be implemented. The Helldivers 2 community was given a purpose, which they accomplished admirably. This wasn't the only option. No one wanted to return a game they really loved, much less review-bomb it. On sometimes, however, you have to take necessary action.

The Repercussions

Although things are beginning to return to normal, some harm has not been fully healed. For starters, the Recent Reviews on Steam are still shown as Mixed, despite the fact that users have been carefully altering their reviews to be favorable. Furthermore, I think that the community's confidence has been permanently harmed. I anticipate them being reticent about each and every update from now on. Which as a customer, you know, is what you should be doing, but it may become tiresome. The developers are now forced to tread carefully for the foreseeable future, so it doesn't get much better. Not to be overlooked, we have the fallen hero: it seems that Spitz has lost their job as community manager. Though I can see why, I wish Arrowhead had held onto the one supporter of the locals.

What Know We Now?

A few things, in my view. Firstly, you should never rely on a company to make a wise decision. Never ever think that someone will back down from a choice they make, even if they "threaten" to do something foolish in the future. Two, it matters that you speak out. By voicing your disapproval in large numbers, you may pressure those in positions of authority to reverse their decisions. Thirdly, strike them in the pockets, where it hurts the most. Negative reviews are all well and good, but when you can somehow jeopardize their earnings, that's when people start to take notice.

And what knowledge has Sony gained? Most likely nothing noteworthy. When the dust settles, which might be in a few months or a year, they could even attempt this lunacy again. Divers, please do not allow them to get away with it. At all. Defend yourself in the same manner should Sony ever attack you. Even if you've won a huge battle, there will always be capitalists who are avaricious. Wishing you luck.