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Why did Helldivers 2 players review-bomb the game?
On May 3, 2024, Sony announced that Steam players would again be required to connect a PSN account to continue playing Helldivers 2. Its proposed schedule would require new Steam players to link accounts beginning May 6, with existing players facing a later deadline. Players objected to both the account requirement and the timing: although the Steam store page listed linking as a requirement, players had been able to play without linking during the launch period. Some said they had not understood that mandatory linking would be enforced later.
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The policy also raised a practical access concern. PSN was unavailable in some countries where the game could be accessed on Steam, so enforcing the link could have left players in those regions unable to play. Ars Technica reported that the game had been delisted from Steam in 177 countries during the weekend of the dispute; that is a report about the situation at the time, not a current availability figure.
What did Pilestedt apologize for?
The long-term requirement was not made clear enough
Pilestedt said the Steam page had shown the account-linking requirement, but that Arrowhead should have communicated its long-term intent more clearly. As PC Gamer quoted him on May 3: “While the steam page has always shown the requirements on the game page, I wish we had been more clear with the long term intent to not disappoint any of the divers out there.”
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He also recognized that players might not want another account or service: “I understand that linking accounts and signing up for additional services may not be something that some users would like to do and that needs to be respected.” His apology addressed how the situation had unfolded and the loss of player trust. PC Gamer quoted him: “Well, I guess it’s warranted. Sorry everyone for how this all transpired. I hope we will make it up and regain the trust by providing a continued great game experience.”
He accepted responsibility for Arrowhead’s launch decision
On May 5, Pilestedt made a separate admission about Arrowhead’s role. He said he had decided to disable account linking at launch so players could play, but had not ensured they understood that linking was still intended to become mandatory. Ars Technica quoted him: “I am not blameless in all of this – it was my decision to disable account linking at launch so that players could play the game. I did not ensure players were aware of the requirement and we didn’t talk about it enough.” He added that Arrowhead had known for about six months before launch that linking would be mandatory for online PlayStation titles.
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Who proposed the requirement, and who canceled it?
Sony announced the proposed Steam-to-PSN enforcement as publisher. Pilestedt’s apology and acceptance of responsibility concerned Arrowhead’s launch handling and communication; they did not mean he personally reversed Sony’s policy. On May 6, Sony said the planned update would not proceed. The company’s statement, quoted by Ars Technica, said: “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.” As a result, the proposed May 2024 deadlines did not take effect.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How severe was the Steam review backlash?
PC Gamer reported on May 3, 2024, that Helldivers 2 had received over 20,000 negative Steam reviews that day and that its recent review status had fallen to “Mixed.” Those figures describe the review-bombing episode as reported on that date; they are not a current review count or rating.
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