Helldivers 2 was delisted from around 177 countries where PSN is not available
Over 200,000 negative reviews on Steam within two days
PlayStation reverses Helldivers 2 PSN account requirement
Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision following fan backlash
PlayStation's U-turn on Helldivers 2 PSN account requirement following fan backlash
Sony Interactive Entertainment has reversed its decision to require Steam players of Helldivers 2 to link their accounts with PlayStation Network (PSN) after a wave of negative reactions from the gaming community.
The controversial policy, which was announced on May 6, led to over 14,000 negative reviews on Steam within hours and eventually ballooned to over 200,00 in just two days. The move also resulted in Helldivers 2 being delisted from around 177 countries where PSN is not available.
The unpopular decision was met with criticism from players and developers alike, with Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt engaging in discussions with PlayStation to find a solution. The company's about-face came after fans expressed their displeasure through negative reviews and feedback on social media platforms.
PlayStation acknowledged the feedback, stating that they
Helldivers 2 is a successful game on both PS5 and Steam with high player numbers and goodwill.
Sony announced that PC players need to link their PlayStation Network accounts to their Steam accounts to continue playing Helldivers 2.
Players in some regions don’t have access to PlayStation Network but do have access to Steam, leaving them unsure how they will continue playing the game.
Over 260,000 negative reviews have been left on Steam in protest of the requirement and Valve has started refunding purchases.
Sony has reversed course and will not require PlayStation Network accounts for Helldivers 2 on Steam anymore.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The author commits an appeal to emotion fallacy by expressing his own emotions towards Sony's decision and using emotive language such as 'egregious error of judgment', 'annoying', and 'shady'. He also uses the phrase 'a ton of goodwill' multiple times, implying that the loss of this goodwill is a negative thing. The author also commits an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that Steam has taken steps to refund anyone who wants a refund, as if Valve's actions make Sony's decision valid.
Sony is poised to squander a ton of the goodwill the company has accrued, not just from Helldivers 2, but from all its efforts to port PlayStation exclusives like Horizon Zero Dawn and The Last Of Us, to PC.
It feels like a bait-and-switch, luring players in on false pretenses.
Many gamers have pointed out that the PSN hasn’t been the most secure network in the world.
Bias
(80%)
The author expresses bias towards Sony's decision to require PlayStation Network accounts for Steam players of Helldivers 2. The author uses language that depicts the requirement as annoying, shady, and a misjudgment on Sony's part. The author also suggests that the security reason given by Sony is a lousy excuse.
It feels like a bait-and-switch, luring players in on false pretenses.
Many gamers have pointed out that the PSN hasn’t been the most secure network in the world.
Sony is poised to squander a ton of the goodwill the company has accrued, not just from Helldivers 2, but from all its efforts to port PlayStation exclusives like Horizon Zero Dawn and The Last Of Us, to PC.
PlayStation required Helldivers 2 PC players to make a PlayStation Network account to continue playing, causing backlash and review-bombing
Helldivers 2 received overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam after PSN requirement announcement
Arrowhead community managers were criticized for poor communication regarding the PSN requirement change
Accuracy
Helldivers 2 was immediately popular on PlayStation with regular updates and expansions
PlayStation's intervention led to the game being delisted from several countries on Steam
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The author commits several informal fallacies throughout the article. The most prominent of which is an appeal to emotion in the form of a rhetorical question: 'Helldivers 2 being pulled from Steam in over 100 countries hurts Arrowhead more directly than it hurts its publisher.' This statement is intended to elicit an emotional response from the reader, rather than providing logical reasoning. Additionally, there are several instances of hyperbole and exaggeration: 'PlayStation continues to reap the benefits of being the console market leader this generation, but Arrowhead has no such protection.' 'Not only did PlayStation force an otherwise beloved studio into this position, but its constant kowtowing to tactics such as review-bombing continues to legitimize bad actors.' These statements are not based in fact and serve only to inflame the situation. Lastly, there is a false dichotomy when the author states: 'So it’s time for PlayStation to start treating this live-service and PC push less like some kind of gambit and more like an effort its livelihood depends on, and stop fucking up.' The author presents only two options: either PlayStation treats the live-service and PC push as a gamble or as a matter of life or death. This oversimplifies the situation.
]Helldivers 2 being pulled from Steam in over 100 countries hurts Arrowhead more directly than it hurts its publisher.[
PlayStation continues to reap the benefits of being the console market leader this generation, but Arrowhead has no such protection.
Not only did PlayStation force an otherwise beloved studio into this position, but its constant kowtowing to tactics such as review-bombing continues to legitimize bad actors.
Bias
(10%)
The author expresses a clear bias against PlayStation and its handling of Helldivers 2. The author uses language that depicts PlayStation as inept and makes extreme statements about the company's actions.
Is that PlayStation’s future in the realm of live-service games and the PC market? Constant harassment of its developers due to poor decisions that trickle downwards from C-suite executives who’ve no idea how to manage a live product in a fickle and ever changing environment?
It turns out, unsurprisingly, that most of that success had more to do with Arrowhead’s ingenuity and ability to deliver a quality product, and less to do with PlayStation.
Not only that, but PlayStation’s ultimatum of making a PSN account or outright losing the ability to play the game reveals just how little it ever considers its audience when making a business decision.
PlayStation continues to reap the benefits of being the console market leader this generation, but Arrowhead has no such protection. And while it’s a PlayStation-published title, Helldivers 2 being pulled from Steam in over 100 countries hurts Arrowhead more directly than it hurts its publisher.
PlayStation's active meddling turned Helldivers 2 from a phenomenon into a pariah overnight and tanking its reviews on Steam from ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ to ‘Mixed.’
PlayStation simply does not know what it's doing when it comes to cross-platform titles, and will either continue to stumble upwards or accidentally burn itself time and time again at the repeated cost of its developers.
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