A few days ago, PC gamers got mad when Arrowhead and Sony said they’d need a PSN account for Helldivers 2 on Steam. But now, Sony changed its mind. PC gamers won’t have to use a PSN account for the game anymore. Yep, the company has reversed its plans of using a PSN account on PC for this particular title.
Helldivers fans — we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking update. The May 6 update, which would have required Steam and PlayStation Network account linking for new players and for current players beginning May 30, will not be moving forward.
We’re still…
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 6, 2024
Just to be super clear, this change only applies to Helldivers 2. Ghost of Tsushima will still need a PSN account for its Online Multiplayer and PlayStation overlay. However, you’ll be able to play the single-player campaign without needing a PSN account. So, you’ve already been warned about this title.
In short, just because Sony has backpedaled on this does not really mean anything. Yes, PC gamers have won the Helldivers 2 battle. However, future games may require a PSN account. Sony claimed that it is still learning what is best for PC players and that our feedback has been invaluable. However, this sounds like a PR statement and nothing more.
Let’s also not forget that the PSN support page still states that some PC games may require a PSN account. Back in 2022, Sony was claiming that all its PlayStation games would be playable on PC without the need for a PSN account. This shows you Sony’s real motive.
The main issue with Helldivers 2 was that the PlayStation Network isn’t available in many countries. So, Sony was basically selling a game that lots of PC gamers couldn’t play. Sure, you could make a “fake” account, but someone got banned for doing that in Helldivers 2. And then, the game became unavailable in over 100 countries. So, this wasn’t just about whining about something PC gamers did not like. This was a huge issue.
Let’s also not forget that Helldivers 2 was fully playable on PC without the need for a PSN account. So, forcing something like that on PC gamers three months after the game’s release was really stupid. I mean, there are a lot of PC gamers that don’t want to use any other store than Steam. So, what made Sony believe that they’d be OK with creating a new account for their network?
For what it’s worth, Helldivers 2 currently sits on Mostly Negative/Mixed Reviews on Steam. My guess is that things will normalize now after Sony’s announcement. So, we should expect to see more positive reviews.
Finally, as I said, I don’t expect anything major to change for future titles. At least not for single-player games. But for competitive multiplayer games, Sony has to make sure PSN is available everywhere. Otherwise, the cycle will repeat itself.
Stay tuned for more!
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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