May 6, 2024, 3:30 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Currently, there’s a major topic heating up the gaming community: the mandatory linking of Steam and PSN. Specifically, it’s about the case of “Helldivers 2″–but the debate is actually much larger. TECHBOOK explains all the details.
Since 2022, it’s been possible to link your Steam account with the PSN (PlayStation Network). This step was a crucial part of Sony’s strategy to increase its presence in the PC sector. With the PlayStation, the Japanese company is primarily strong in the console business. Initially, Sony rewarded this simply with some in-game rewards. Now, however, the company wants to make linking with the PSN mandatory for some games–even if you buy and want to play the titles on Steam, a completely different platform. The outrage is currently very high because Sony wants to introduce this change for “Helldivers 2.” Is a reversal coming?
Controversy over “Helldivers 2″–Steam players must link PSN account
To briefly summarize what has happened so far: The MMO third-person shooter “Helldivers 2” was released in early February 2024. Behind it is the developer Arrowhead Game Studios. The Swedish indie studio is known not only for the two “Helldivers” parts but also for “Gauntlet” and “Magicka” (2011). It’s not unusual for smaller developers like Arrowhead to collaborate with larger companies that then act as publishers. For “Gauntlet,” they worked with WB Games, but Sony took over the distribution of “Helldivers.”
As part of this publishing activity, Sony–specifically Sony Interactive Entertainment–has certain rights. The company apparently exercised these when it was announced on May 3, 2024, that new “Helldivers 2” players must link their Steam account with a PlayStation account starting May 6. For existing players, the change applies from May 30 and must be implemented by June 4 at the latest. Those who do not comply will be actively excluded from the game.
Users react angrily
In its announcement message, Sony points out that a link was always intended. Only due to technical problems at launch was the requirement temporarily suspended. Sony cites the reason for the necessary link: “The account linking plays a crucial role in protecting our players and maintaining security values in PlayStation and PlayStation Studios games. This is our most important means of protecting players from griefing and abuse, as it allows us to ban players who behave accordingly.”
Many Steam users reacted indignantly to the announcement. Many of their comments focus on the fundamental principle; they don’t want to be forced. As one user writes: “It’s about the principle of not forcing users who have already bought and played their game to sign up on another platform, literally for no reason.”
According to the discussion forum under the announcement, many are also concerned about their data. As one person writes: “No, I’m not selling my soul to PlayStation just to play a single game. There were no issues with it being optional, so why make it mandatory now?” Some Steam users who already have a PSN account report that their data has been hacked there before; indeed, there have been multiple incidents in recent years.
Additionally, the change resulted in another problem. In more than 170 countries, it’s not possible to create a PSN account. Steam users in these countries were thus excluded.
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Is Sony backing down?
An immediate visible reaction was also seen in the title’s ratings: “Helldivers 2” has been struggling with review bombing since Sony’s announcement. In concrete numbers: According to SteamDB, a total of 154,651 negative reviews were added on Sunday, May 5, 2024, alone. Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt seems to be able to understand the players’ reactions quite well. He also admits that communication on this matter should have been clearer.
And it’s not just the developers who seem to understand. After initially not responding to the massive criticism, Sony has now commented on social media.
The post states, among other things: “The update from May 6, which would have required the linking of Steam and PlayStation Network accounts for new players and for current players from May 30, will not be implemented.” They have heard the fans’ feedback and are still figuring out what is best for PC players.
Sony is not an isolated case
To be fair, it’s worth noting that Sony with “Helldivers 2” is not an isolated case. Steam users who want to play titles from EA or Ubisoft have long needed an EA Play or Ubisoft Connect account. This not only means registering with the respective service but also having to start the EA or Ubisoft launcher in addition to Steam to start the game. While this may be a minor annoyance for many, it can also lead to technical problems and/or delays.
Some users also consciously choose against a particular service to protect their data. Additionally, a certain advantage of Steam is lost: the ability to buy and play games from many studios independently of various other services and the actual publishers.