Sony backtracks: Helldivers 2 PC players will not have to link a PlayStation account

Sony Interactive Entertainment has backed off its plans to require Helldivers 2 players on PC to link to a PlayStation account, the company said Sunday night. in a post on X.

“Helldivers fans: We’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking update,” the post read. “The May 6 update, which would have required linking Steam and PlayStation Network accounts for new players and for current players starting May 30, will not move forward.”

The post went on to say that the company is “still learning what’s best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable.”

Those comments couldn’t have been fun for Sony executives to read, as they were wildly negative and even led to negative reviews on Steam, meaning numerous users posted negative reviews of the game after the original change was announced. Over the weekend, players of the popular game posted negative reviews and requested refunds.

Background on the recoil

This all came after the company announced last week that Helldivers 2 players on PC would need to link a PlayStation Network account to continue playing.

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“Starting May 6, all new Helldivers 2 players on Steam will need to connect their Steam account to a PlayStation Network account,” Sony said in a statement. publish in X and another on Steam. That tweet about X has since been deleted and the text on Steam crossed out.

At the time, Sony said existing players would be asked to pair starting May 30 and would have until June 4 to do so. Presumably the game wouldn’t have been playable after that without the tie-in.

Before changing course and removing the linking requirement, Sony had removed the game from sale in 177 territories and countries where PlayStation accounts are not available. A Sony representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether game sales would be restored in those areas now that linking is no longer required.

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Announcing the news, Sony said the reason for the new requirement, now removed, was to “protect players from suffering and abuse by allowing the banning of players who engage in that type of behavior.”

Helldivers 2 players already had the option to link to their PlayStation account to enable cross-play, where PC and PlayStation 5 Helldivers can play the same games. There is currently no Xbox console version of the game, but it is rumored to be a possibility.