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Has it been a year already? It feels like it was just yesterday that the entire PSN controversy took place before our very eyes. May 6 marks the one-year anniversary of the Helldivers 2 community getting what it asked for from SONY. Well, partially, at least. So, what happened, and has anything changed?
What Was the SONY PSN Controversy?
Helldivers 2 launched on February 8, 2024. It was an instant success! Thousands upon thousands of players worldwide started spreading Managed Democracy together. New players poured in every day, and the sense of community started forming.
Then, at the very start of May 2024, SONY announced that all players would have to have a PSN account if they wanted to play. Naturally, all PS5 players already have one, but the PC players would have to connect their Steam account to their PSN account. The thing is, the majority of PC players had no reason to have a PSN account.
So, chaos ensued. While some PC players were frantically making PSN accounts, others realized they were living in “unsupported” countries, meaning they would get locked out. Thus, the first true community effort began. All the players review-bombed Helldivers 2 into oblivion.
Finally, on May 6, 2024, SONY gave in and allowed all the players who had already bought the game to stay on. Also, PC players don’t have to link their Steam account to a PSN account. However, new players from “unsupported” countries aren’t able to join the Galactic War, as the game is now unavailable on Steam in any of those countries.
And, that is pretty much it. The devs teased a Review-Bomb Cape a couple of times, but Pilestedt, the CCO, revealed it would only be added once the region conclusion was done. Back in January this year, players noticed that more than 40 regions were removed from the list of “unsupported” regions. Still, around 130 regions remain locked out.
Helldivers 2 Players Haven’t Forgotten About the Whole Controversy
The reviews may have been changed, and the game survived, but Helldivers haven’t forgotten about what they went through together. The SONY controversy shaped the Helldivers 2 community. So, we weren’t surprised to see the players mark the anniversary.
Un-aided_Gator noted: “I love this 100% and it’s my favorite display of a community realizing the power they hold. However, an unfortunate consequence of this is that PSN account linking is how Arrowhead planned to handle account reporting/moderation (hacking, teamkilling, slurs, etc.)”.
Also, many players are still rasing the issue of the locked out countries. One player noted: “Nothing has changed for me regards the PSN requirements. It’s just a miracle I bought it right after the launch. Glad they let me play at least”.
So, don’t forget about all of those Helldivers who were locked out, and continue spreading awareness and asking for this issue to be solved. If there were more players, the current Major Order would be a piece of cake. Let’s keep fighting together. For Liberty and Super Earth.