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PlayStation reversed its plan to require Steam players of Helldivers 2 to link a PlayStation Network (PSN) account. The change was announced on May 3, 2024, and cancelled on May 6 after PlayStation said it had heard player feedback. The reversal ended the proposed requirement, but it did not immediately resolve concerns about the game’s availability in countries where PSN was not offered.
What PlayStation announced on May 3, 2024
Sony said linking a Steam account to PSN had been temporarily optional because of technical issues at launch, and that the grace period was ending. Under the proposed schedule, new Steam players would need to connect accounts starting May 6. Existing players would begin seeing a mandatory login from May 30 and have until June 4 to link.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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PlayStation Helldivers 2 [ 5] | $44.40 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Horror Tales: The Wine (PS5) | $28.37 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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HITMAN World of Assassination (PS5) | $33.40 | Buy on Amazon |
Sony presented account linking as a safety and community measure. The proposal applied to the Steam version; it was not an announcement that every Helldivers 2 player on every platform had to link a PSN account. Sony’s account-linking FAQ set out the stated rationale and launch-period explanation.
Why PlayStation reversed the plan
On May 6, PlayStation said the update would not go forward. Its statement, reproduced by Game Developer, said it had heard fan feedback. That is the confirmed public explanation; the statement did not identify one specific cause for the reversal.
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“Helldivers fans — we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking update. 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.”
PlayStation, as quoted by Game Developer on May 6, 2024
Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pilestedt thanked PlayStation for leaving PSN linking optional, according to the same report. The sequence is clear: Sony proposed mandatory linking, then cancelled that update after feedback. The available announcement does not establish a more specific internal reason.
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Why PSN availability made the proposal an access issue
For Steam customers, the concern was not only whether they wanted another account. PSN was not available in every country and territory, so a mandatory PSN link could create a practical obstacle for players in places without PSN service.
On May 9, PC Gamer reported that Helldivers 2 was still delisted from Steam in 177 countries and territories not served by PSN. Pilestedt told the outlet he was talking with PlayStation and Valve and pushing for the delisting to be undone. That report captures the situation three days after the reversal, not a current country-by-country availability check.
“I’m speaking to our partners at PlayStation and Valve and pushing for it to be undone,” Pilestedt said. He added: “Getting the account linking took a herculean effort—but I won’t rest in my desire to have it available everywhere.”
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Johan Pilestedt, quoted by PC Gamer on May 9, 2024
PC Gamer’s May 9 report is evidence of the post-reversal status at that time. It should not be read as proof that the same 177 territories remain unable to buy the game today. Current Steam purchase access by territory is not established here.
What the reversal did—and did not—settle
PlayStation cancelled the planned account-linking update. That resolved the immediate question of whether Steam players would face the May 2024 mandatory-linking schedule. It did not, in the May 6 announcement itself, confirm that every regional Steam delisting had been reversed; the May 9 report said the delistings persisted then.
The scale of the game helps explain why the dispute drew broad attention, but it does not establish the cause of Sony’s decision. Sony Interactive Entertainment reported 12 million combined sell-through units for Helldivers 2 on PS5 and PC as of May 5, 2024, in its FY24.1Q supplemental report. That is a dated combined figure, not a current sales total.
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