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Sony canceled its planned PlayStation Network account-linking update for HELLDIVERS 2 on Steam on May 6, 2024, after player feedback. The reversal came three days after Sony announced deadlines that would have required new and existing Steam players to link accounts. It applies to that planned update—not to every PlayStation account policy or game.
What Sony announced
In a May 3, 2024 notice on the official HELLDIVERS 2 Steam community page, Sony Interactive Entertainment said account linking had been temporarily optional because of technical issues at launch. The notice said the grace period was ending and laid out a schedule for Steam players:
- May 6: New Steam players would be required to link a PlayStation Network account.
- May 30: Existing Steam players would begin seeing mandatory login prompts.
- June 4: Existing players would have to link their accounts by this deadline.
Sony said linking was intended to help protect players by supporting moderation of griefing and abuse, banning offenders, and allowing appeals. These were Sony’s stated reasons for the planned policy.
Why did Sony reverse the plan?
Player feedback was the reason Sony gave for stopping the update. On May 6, the company appended a reversal to its Steam notice: “The May 6 update, which would have required Steam and PlayStation Network account linking for new players and for current players beginning May 30, will not be moving forward.” Sony added, “We’re still learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable.”
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The sequence matters: the May 3 notice announced a future change, and Sony canceled it on May 6 before the existing-player prompts and linking deadline in that schedule. It was not an account-linking rule that had already taken effect for the existing Steam player base.
How players responded
PCWorld reported that Steam received more than 80,000 negative reviews in the 24 hours after the linking news. That is PCWorld’s contemporaneous count, not a fresh or independently audited total. The outlet reported that the game’s recent Steam rating had fallen to “Mostly Negative” while its overall rating was “Mixed.” Those descriptions reflect the situation reported in May 2024, not current review scores.
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Johan Pilestedt, then CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, reacted to the review impact with: “Ouch, right in the review score.”
Why account linking mattered to this game
HELLDIVERS 2 launched on PS5 and PC on February 8, 2024. Sony lists it as a release for both platforms in its 2024 investor presentation. That cross-platform release helps explain why a policy announced for Steam players became a major issue for the PC community.
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Sony reported more than 12 million units sold through across PS5 and PC as of May 5, 2024. That company-reported figure provides context for the game’s scale; it does not show that the account-linking dispute caused a particular sales result.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the reversal does—and does not—establish
The official announcement establishes that Sony canceled the specific May 6, 2024 update and its scheduled requirement for Steam players. It does not establish the current account-linking rules, regional availability, or Steam review totals in October 2026. Nor does it say Sony ended PlayStation accounts or account linking across its other games and services.
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- Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T), IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1
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