Everyone is loving Helldivers 2 right now, but if you remember, the game was a bit of mess when it launched. There were all sorts of problems as the game’s servers were overflowing with eager Super Earth patriots looking to conquer the galaxy. Now, though, the co-op shooter is in a far more stable state, but something else has cropped up that’s catching a lot of PC players by surprise.
An official update on Steam explains that, starting soon, PC users will need to link their Steam accounts to a PlayStation Network account in order to play the game. “Due to technical issues at the launch of HELLDIVERS™ 2, we allowed the linking requirements for Steam accounts to a PlayStation Network account to be temporarily optional. That grace period will now expire,” the statement reads.
In a nutshell, after 6th May, any new players will need to link Steam and PSN accounts. Existing players, meanwhile, have a little longer to get this sorted; the mandatory PSN login will start to appear for them starting 30th May, and will need to link their accounts by 4th June.
If you dare to view the responses to this on Steam or Reddit, you’ll be met with a vast number of irate comments. Broadly speaking, PC players aren’t happy they now need to link accounts, create PSN accounts they don’t want, and so on. Many feel that they’ve been hoodwinked and that this PSN requirement has come out of the blue. However, that’s not quite the case.
As evidenced by this archived capture of Helldivers 2’s Steam page, it was always noted, even pre-launch, that the game would need you to have a PSN account to play. This requirement was dropped amid the game’s early troubles, but now it’s firmly on its feet, Sony and Arrowhead are bringing it back in.
This isn’t a new practice; many publishers now require you to have accounts with them in order to play their games. Epic, Capcom, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros., to name a few, each require you to sign up with them to play their online titles. Sony is doing the same for its games on PC, but Helldivers 2’s teething issues meant it was temporarily exempt, and the change is causing a fair amount of confusion.
What do you think of this? Is Sony the devil incarnate for reinstating its PSN account requirement for Helldivers 2? Discuss in the comments section below.
Laura Adams is a tech enthusiast residing in the UK. Her articles cover the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
