Helldivers 2’s reviews have taken a dip on Steam, with the recent reviews averaging out to Mixed response. Compared to the game’s overall very positive one, it’s not hard to connect this change to the recent announcement. Months after the initial February release, Helldivers 2 will be requiring players to connect to a PlayStation network account, even if they’re playing on PC.
This process seems designed to give players the security of the PlayStation network, a security that some reviewers are rejecting exists. The current top review in the storefront provides a list of hacking attacks that they cite as their reason for not wanting to connect their accounts. Considering Sony’s list of Data Breaches, it’s understandable why some players might be less inclined to connect their accounts together. Other concerns include monitoring or data harvesting.
While some Steam games also require a linking feature, the unique aspect of this case is that Helldivers 2 has only just made this a requirement. Apparently the game was unable to implement this feature at launch due to “technical difficulties.” However, the decision to add that requirement months later doesn’t sit right with many players, and seems to be tarnishing its initially extremely positive reputation.
For some players who might be worried that they will lose access to Helldivers 2 without a PlayStation console, they can rest easy. It is not required to have a PlayStation console in order to have a PlayStation network account. However, those players who live in regions without access to the PlayStation network might not be able to continue their Helldivers 2 experience. Apparently, in the Discord community manager Thomas ‘Twinbeard’ Peterson said they aren’t sure what this connection requirement will mean for these players. It seems to be an ongoing question for players wondering what will happen now? Will the influx of poor reviews make them roll back this decision, or will it continue full steam ahead?