As of June 4, Helldivers 2 will be unavailable in most parts of the world. Arrowhead Game Studios attributes the issue to the publisher, while community managers have been openly ridiculing players.
The success of Helldivers 2 largely stemmed from the developers’ loyal engagement with the community. They actively monitored events, seamlessly integrated thematic content, and fostered a sense of collective participation in the Helldivers 2 universe. This engagement helped players overlook the game’s bugs, crashes, and server issues.
However, this connection has been severed. Sony has mandated that all players link their game accounts to a PlayStation Network account, making it impossible to join game sessions without this linkage.
The owners of Helldivers 2 instantly brought down the game’s rating on Steam. The situation is strange – many games require the installation of an additional launcher and registration in services from developers. Where could the problem come from?
Operational teams swiftly addressed the situation by presenting an imprecise map of PlayStation Network availability.
Observing the map reveals extensive gray areas, indicating regions where the service is inaccessible, including the Baltics, Russia, Kazakhstan, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Although China has access to the PlayStation Network, Helldivers 2 is not available for purchase there.
Arrowhead Game’s developers have made efforts to reassure the community. They have even attempted to demonstrate on Discord that players from the grayed-out regions can legally establish an account, citing PlayStation’s policies for students, relocators, nomads, and similar groups.
PlayStation Network mandates that users register in their country or territory of residence. However, those who are traveling, working, or studying abroad are permitted to create an account in a different country or territory from their current location.
Despite these efforts, there have been reports of bans in China for improperly linked accounts created using VPNs. So far, residents of other countries have not reported similar issues. It remains unclear whether PlayStation moderators are fully aware of the situation or are overwhelmed by the number of infractions.
Johan Pilsted, the head of Arrowhead Game, initially expressed anger towards players for review-bombing. Subsequently, he suggested contacting PlayStation support for any inquiries. He also mentioned that account binding had been planned from the start, but technical issues hindered its implementation.
The Helldivers 2 community moderators, sharing the studio’s disappointment, appeared to lose their restraint—they were discourteous, mocked the audience’s challenges, and proposed refunds. It seems they too were affected by the hostility of the players, who until recently had been praising them on the server for the in-game extermination of bugs.
It is possible that the situation surrounding Helldivers 2 may be settled amicably. For instance, there are speculations that Arrowhead Game Studios has discontinued the development of cosmetics initially intended as rewards for linking to PSN.
Despite the scandal, the popularity of Helldivers 2 remains unaffected.
