Helldivers 2 players on Steam will soon have an extra hoop to jump through, as Sony will require everyone to link the game to a PlayStation Network account. The news has, expectedly, created some backlash in the community.
“Account linking plays a critical role in protecting our players and upholding the values of safety and security provided on PlayStation and PlayStation Studios games,” an update on Steam from Sony reads “This is our main way to protect players from griefing and abuse by enabling the banning of players that engage in that type of behaviour. It also allows those players that have been banned the right to appeal.”
Apparently, connecting to a PSN account was delayed until now because of the technical issues at launch. Starting on May 6, new Helldivers 2 players will be forced to connect their Steam account to a PSN account. Existing players will see a mandatory login screen pop up on May 30, and be required to have a linked account by June 4.
This decision has left the Steam community feeling conflicted, to say the least. The discussion board on Steam, as well as the Reddit thread, is filled with hundreds of players upset at the new requirement for a variety of reasons. A major reason discussed is players living in regions that simply don’t have PlayStation Network. Others cite a lack of faith in Sony’s security and handling of data.
The most common response is players asking Sony to keep it optional, or at least make it so only players using crossplay have to link an account.
Helldivers 2 is currently the top-selling premium game of the year, with millions of players and rave reviews since launch. It has become Sony’s seventh highest-grossing game of all time. Helldivers 2 is currently available for PS5 and PC.
