Helldivers 2 has been having a rough week. A few days ago they announced that all PC players, who had bought and played through Steam, would be required to connect their accounts to a PlayStation Network account. The decision received a lot of backlash with thousands of bad reviews pouring in. One of the biggest questions from that decision was what would happen to players in regions where the PlayStation Network does not offer service. Well the answer seems to be, not being able to purchase it anymore. 

Rehashing old ground a bit, the decision to require the PlayStation Network account was announced on Friday, and is set to fully take effect on May 6th. However, the fact that this change is coming almost three months after launch is what’s making the entire thing feel uncomfortable. The requirement of the PlayStation Network was apparently always supposed to be a factor, but was held up due to technical difficulties. Due to its late addition, it’s complicating situations for PC players. As mentioned it is no longer available for purchase in certain regions, and in fact Valve is making an exception to their usual rule about refunds to offer players who have completed over 100 hours refunds. Usually Steam refunds are only offered within two hours of purchase, but Valve seems to have deemed the circumstances worthy of exception.

In response to many of the negative reviews, Arrowhead Studios has said that players who are currently playing, and living in zones without access to the PlayStation Network will still be able to play as the teams involved work on other solutions. It’s nice to hear, but it leaves players in a state of uncertainty about their access to the game moving forward. Arrowhead also wishes to remind players that this was Sony’s decision, not theirs. Either way, Helldivers 2 is limiting any further growth from PC players, which have been responsible for so much of the co-op shooter’s success. Hopefully players will get more definite answers on the state of affairs sooner rather than later.