Helldivers 2 boss praises community 'willpower' after Sony's Playstation U-turn

Johan Pilestedt, the creative director of Helldivers 2 and CEO of developer Arrowhead Game Studios, said he's "impressed by the willpower of the game's community" after Sony announced a U-turn on plans to force PC gamers to link a PlayStation Network (PSN) account.

Sony is reported to have said due to "technical issues" at the launch of Helldivers 2, it allowed the linking of Steam accounts to PSN accounts to be optional.

Following what was described as a "grace period", the company planned for new players to have to link these accounts from May 6 onwards and for existing players to do so by May 30 onwards to continue playing for safety and security, it said.

But because of this, Helldivers 2 received a huge backlash from PC players.

Hundreds of thousands of players review bombed the game on Steam, plummeting an upper 'mostly positive' rating down to 'mixed'.

They also threatened to quit the game entirely and some demanded full refunds.

Pilestedt then posted a statement on X / Twitter which said: "Ouch, right in the review score. Well, I guess it's warranted. Sorry everyone for how this all transpired. I hope we will make it up and regain the trust by providing a continued great game experience. I just want to make great games!"

Seeing the backlash this decision had from players, Sony seemed to have listened and announced a U-turn on its decision.

A statement posted on X / Twitter said: "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 learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable.

"Thanks again for your continued support of Helldivers 2 and we'll keep you updated on future plans."

Its community breathed a collective sigh of relief online - seemingly none more so than Pilestedt himself.

In another statement on X / Twitter, he said: "Firstly, I am impressed by the willpower of the @helldivers2 community and your ability to collaborate.

"Secondly I want to thank our partners and friends at @PlayStation for quickly and effectively making the decision to leave PSN linking optional.

"We together want to set a new standard for what a live game is and how developers and community can support each other to create the best game experiences."

Tens of thousands of positive Steam reviews are being submitted about Helldivers 2 now in an effort from the community to reverse its reduced score now the issue has been resolved.

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