Ex Helldivers 2 Boss on the Sony Mutiny That Shook the Fandom

In the middle of 2024, Helldivers 2 became the target of intense criticism from its own player base, in contrast to the overwhelmingly positive reception it received in the weeks following its release. Developer Arrowhead Game Studios largely caught fans off guard when it revealed that, following a month-long grace period, it would begin requiring PC users to link their Steam account to PSN.

The creators apparently held internal meetings about how to handle the largest controversy surrounding Helldivers 2 since its release and potential options that may be negotiated with publisher Sony as a result of the intense public outcry. However, as the community stood together, Sony had to overturn their decision. And ex-Helldivers 2 writer thinks it was quite evident.

Former Helldivers 2 writer thinks players fought together outside of the game as well

Players of Helldivers 2 demonstrated that they had the fortitude and bravery to stand up for what’s right and be really free as the dispute between Helldivers and Sony came to a close.

Russ Nickel, the former lead writer for Helldivers 2, discussed the game’s story and how it was represented in the PSN controversy in an interview with Inverse on May 9. Players rebelled against the company’s announcement that they would no longer be able to play Helldivers 2 without connecting a PSN account.

With the help of the community manager at Arrowhead, they were able to change the situation by review-bombing the game and demanding refunds. This is what Nickel stated:

It’s just like, ‘Oh, we trained them to fight together. And then they fought together.’ They were standing up or something good I think, which was their fellow players.

Nickel claims that because Helldivers 2‘s Super Earth and never-ending Democracy produced a satirical dystopian reality, the developer was able to draw inspiration for in-game features like Major Orders from real-life issues that players can identify with and confront.

Seeing Helldivers challenge Sony has been one of the most thrilling aspects of the experience, Nickel continued, adding, “I hope most of them understand what we’re trying to say and don’t just see it from the surface level.”

The PSN account linking saga of Helldivers 2

After a few months of its launch, Arrowhead Game Studios made it mandatory for PC users to link their Steam account to their PSN accounts after a month-long grace period in order to play the game. After this announcement, many fans protested against this ruling, arguing that there was no explicit reference to a PSN need in the game’s End-User License Agreement for Steam.

They further noted that PSN was only accessible in 69 countries and that gamers who lived outside of these regions were already breaking PSN’s Terms of Service by just making an account, which is a violation that can result in bans.

All of those joint objections ultimately paid off, and the publisher was eventually persuaded to reconsider its terms by the influx of unfavorable reviews for Helldivers 2 and demands for refunds.

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.

We’re still…

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 6, 2024

Players were able to spread managed democracy without a PSN account for the foreseeable future, according to a tweet from the official PlayStation account, which also announced that it was abandoning plans for the account-linking update.

In addition, PlayStation thanked PC gamers for their comments and promised to keep them informed about any updates regarding the popular PvE cooperative shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios.