Steam Refunds Players for Helldivers 2

Steam is refunding players with hundreds of in-game hours in Helldivers 2 after publisher Sony and developer Arrowhead informed PC players that they would need to link to a PSN account to continue playing after next month.

Surprisingly, one player managed to secure a Steam refund despite having played Helldivers 2 for over 90 hours by simply submitting a refund request with a message objecting to the retroactive changes imposed by Sony.

Earlier today, it was revealed that Helldivers 2 has been removed from sale in 177 countries and territories due to the mandatory linking requirement with PlayStation Network (PSN), even in regions where PSN services are not available.

Arrowhead initially made the linking requirement optional in February release due to technical issues. However, the “grace period” provided to Helldivers 2 players on Steam has now ended, and Sony announced that linking to a PSN account will soon be mandatory for Steam players.

As a result, Helldivers 2 on Steam has faced over 200,000 negative reviews from disappointed players.

Arrowhead’s Response

Arrowhead CEO and Helldivers 2 creative director, Joan Pilestedt, has been actively addressing player concerns and complaints regarding the PSN linking requirement. Despite stating that the studio is not responsible for selling the game and expressing uncertainty about the global account creation issue, Pilestedt acknowledged his role in the confusion.

He admitted, “It was my decision to disable account linking at launch so that players could enjoy the game. We failed to communicate the linking requirement effectively and neglected to emphasize it.”

Regarding the mandatory PSN requirement for online PS titles, Pilestedt mentioned ongoing discussions with PlayStation, especially concerning regions without PSN access.

He assured players that their feedback has been heard, and he is actively advocating for solutions, although the final decision rests with other parties.