Helldivers 2 Faces Backlash for Requiring Region-Locked PlayStation Network to Players

Helldiver 2 is now under fire after telling players to link their accounts to the region-locked PlayStation Network.

As of writing, the game is getting review-bombed on Steam as many former fans of the franchise call out against the requirement for essentially locking many players out of the game soon.

Sony's PlayStation Network is only available in 69 countries. And since the changes will be dropped three months after the game's release, many players will be unable to refund the game.

Helldivers 2 Login Changes were Made by Sony, Developers Say

Helldivers 2 developers Arrowhead Game Studios have already stated that the decision came from Sony, the game's publisher, and is currently "chasing Sony for more info."

According to the account linking update, the change was originally meant to have linking requirements to PSN but was delayed due to "technical issues" during Helldivers 2's launch.

Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt has already come out to say that the studio still intends to "make it up and regain the trust by providing a continued great game experience."

The login requirement is set to start on May 30 for all Steam accounts, although players will already see the notification as soon as Monday.

Helldivers 2 Points to Potential EULA Violation in New Login Policy

Following the backlash on the announcement, many players are now looking at whether the login requirement changes potentially violated Helldivers 2's end-user licensing agreement on Steam.

Reddit user u/glasssteelhammer pointed out that the game's EULA does not mention anything about PSN login requirement in its agreement, calling the practice "completely disingenuous."

It is worth noting that the requirement has been present, albeit printed at a small corner, on the Helldivers 2 Steam page since release.

The agreement also states that by playing the game, players are "bound by this Agreement's most current version," including any changes Sony and PlayStation will make to its games.

Sony has yet to make a statement regarding the matter.