Helldivers 2 delisted from Steam in almost 200 countries after PSN controversy

Helldivers 2 has now been delisted from Steam in 177 countries following controversy with PlayStation Network.

On May 3 2024, Helldivers 2 developers Arrowhead announced that all new players on Steam will be required to connect to a PlayStation Network account as part of a new security measure to help prevent “griefing” and “abuse” in-game.

Not only that, existing players will also be forced to connect to an active PlayStation Network account to access the Sony-published game by June 5, leaving players furious.

Many have made note that PSN is only available in 70 countries, which could lead to players potentially being unable to access the game, causing a ton of outrage and review-bombing on Steam.

With now hundreds of thousands of negative reviews, Helldivers 2 has been delisted from Steam in 177 countries on May 5, most of which being countries where PlayStation Network is not available to users.

Since the initial announcement, players suspected that the developers Arrowhead weren’t behind the sudden changes. And it appears they were right according to game community manager Spitz.

“The response from our dev teams has been pretty universally negative and we’re looking for better options,” he said.

With the overwhelming backlash to the changes forced by Sony, the community is hopeful that they’ll reverse the decision after the game has been bombarded with negative reviews.

Thankfully, Steam is permitting players to refund the game, including those that are well past the typical under two hours played refund rule.

PlayStation also appears to have relented. The Publisher announced that the May 6 update for Helldivers 2 will not go ahead and Steam users will no longer be required to make a PSN account to play.