PLAYSTATION fans are breathing a sigh of relief today after Sony announced a major backflip following a tumultuous weekend for the company.
The drama erupted over the weekend when it was revealed that Helldivers 2, a PlayStation-published game, would force PC players to use a PSN account, potentially blocking access for some fans.
It’s not uncommon for PC games to require third-party accounts, even when purchased on Steam, but this time things are a little bit more complicated.
The main issue was that, despite advertising that the PSN login would be required, the requirement has been turned off since the game launched in early February.
That’s largely because of the massive success of the game, which required developer Arrowhead to turn off some network functions like PSN logins to ensure a smooth experience.
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Since then, neither publisher Sony or developer Arrowhead had mentioned restoring the requirement for a third-party login.
When Sony announced it would soon be required, players were furious, flooding the game’s Steam page with negative reviews.
Players also took to social media to give negative feedback, with social media managers for Arrowhead copping a lot of unfortunate abuse.
To make things worse, the game was sold in almost all Steam regions, even including those where PlayStation accounts aren’t legally available.
After that issue was brought to the forefront of the drama, Sony pulled the game from sale in over 170 Steam regions, seeming to many that the requirement was here to stay, despite the backlash.
In a shocking turn of events, though, Sony backflipped on the requirement today, providing a statement on social media confirming the plans had been scrapped.
The PlayStation account said: “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.”
Sony says that it’s listening to feedback, and will keep players updated on future plans for Helldivers 2, which is likely to include many updates.
Helldivers 2 launched on PC and PS5 in February to glowing reviews, and has been played by tens of millions of players, many of which were on PC.
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