On the night of May 5, Helldivers 2 sales were halted on Steam in over 170 countries, a development noticed by users online.
This change occurred amidst a scandal regarding Sony's requirement for mandatory linking to a PSN account to play Helldivers 2 on PC. In certain countries, registering such an account is impossible, leading to the restriction of sales in those regions.
Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony have yet to comment on the situation. Previously, Johan Pilestedt, the head of the studio developing Helldivers 2, apologized to players for any inconvenience caused.
On May 3, Sony announced the mandatory tethering of Helldivers 2 on PC to a PlayStation Network account, citing improved security measures and the ability to enforce bans with appeal options for offenders.
Players widely criticized Sony's decision, resulting in Helldivers 2's Steam reviews dropping to "mixed" overall and "mostly negative" for recent reviews. Arrowhead's community manager clarified that it was Sony, not the developers, who made the decision regarding the PSN link requirement.
