Helldivers 2 CEO Takes The Blame in PSN Account Link Scandal

The CEO of Arrowhead Studios is taking some blame in this current PSN account linking drama for Helldivers 2. There's tons of misinformation on this topic and many people are speculating on the recent news surrounding the controversial nerf to the meta of the community.
#helldivers2

[@thiccfila]

I am kindly requesting you like my last upload since the CEO confirmed that entire video today..... so many people tried saying i was wrong lol Become a member to watch my uploads before they go public kzbin.info/door/pyLLLxBL7zL-f3P_D-bKGgjoin Socials discord.gg/yN4AkD4TSx twitter.com/thiccfila_

[@snight01]

still negative

[@avalokiteshvara113]

​@@snight01he means the comments on the video

[@asgdnchch4253]

you should clarify

[@snight01]

mean im leaving my review negative. Don't do a bait and switch on me. Be upfront from day 1.

[@seanandrew262]

too early to revert, my review will still be negative since I can't forgive the attitude of their CM's just yet. if they manage to keep owning up to their mistakes and make up for it further down the road then I will consider it. Total War had a recent crisis with their loyal fans a few months ago and the rift only closed up until now. Maybe AH can pull it off too but either way community good will is currently shattered.

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

The right ceo in the wrong publisher can make all the difference

[@Clarkamadorian]

“Mr. Arrow... you choosing to do such, good at the beginning, allowing anyone with a steam account to participate in, such, Liberty... you’ll see now the... unforeseen consequences, ahehem.”

[@hyprux9077]

No pilestedt is an idiot if he didnt know that only 69/190 countries WILL be able to play the game after the technical difficulties(?) would be fixed and STILL sell the game worldwide. Or are criminal Stop trying to defend him like he your friend. After he convinced you to buy the game he DOESNT GIVE A DAYYYYYMMMMM

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

@@hyprux9077 relax I was just making a joke

[@earvindinoso7689]

So wake up, helldiver... Wake up and smell the ashes.

[@Someguy6571]

@@Clarkamadorian He did it because the linking process broke and he wanted people to still be able to play. don't think for a second if it had not broke it was going to be optional. It was always going to be mandatory.

[@ALph4cro]

It never should've been sold in those countries at the first place, if they knew.

[@thiccfila]

That was sonys fault as the publisher

[@ALph4cro]

@@thiccfila Absolutely. I'm still playing the game and I'm not blaming Arrowhead on this at all, although their community management might need to think some things through before trying to argue with their fanbase.

[@TheTruestZero]

Sony knows their range of PSN, yet they allowed to be sold in regions without access to it since day one. They are to blame for this.

[@claudioaberrocales6928]

They did

[@JoMcD21]

Why did people in those regions buy the game if they knew PSN wasn't available? That's like buying weed in an illegal state and claiming "OH I DIDN'T KNOW!" You're still the ignorant one and in the wrong.

[@Brakka86]

Why was it available for same in those regions IF they knew 6 months in advance that PSN was a requirement? Who is to blame for selling the game to regions which do not have access to PSN? Sony knew, they sold it anyway. Criminal.

[@thatsnotoneofmeatsmanyuses1970]

Yes. There is plenty to be mad about without having unreasonable expectations.

[@knight3rrant253]

Totaly agree, if the PSN was mandatory from the beginning and they temporarily suspended it because of the bugs why were the people, where PSN is not available, able to buy the game anyway.

[@panzer00]

Its easy to blame Sony but we should be focusing our attention to the tyrannical governments that ban services in their jurisdiction. Sony is not responsible for catering to governments. They sold a product in a free market and they have every legal right atm to alter the Terms. Apparently the information was available but it was in the fine print on Steam - we have a responsibility as consumers to understand what we are buying. Lobby your Representatives to change consumer rights and corporate protections. Protest the tyrannical governments. But, should there be a one size fits all global free market? Do those governments not have the right to govern their people how they see fit? They're not America; they don't have a Bill of Rights or a Declaration of Independence or a Constitution. Their government actually owns them; those people need to fight for their Rights.

[@GalladeTheWarrior]

​@@knight3rrant253the game should have immediately opened with a notice about PSN as soon as the opening cutscene finished playing, if it was your first time launching. It should have explained the issues with account linking and recommended you create a PSN account now in order to link it later. As a dirty socialist I give 90% of the blame to Sony but it's also on the CEO for choosing not to make an IN GAME NOTICE and instead decided to stay quiet about Sony's requirements, likely because the CEO wanted to make sure the game did well at launch. It sucks but I think the CEO played both of us; the playerbase and Sony

[@JoMcD21]

Why did people buy a game they knew would have this requirement if they KNEW they wouldn't have access to it later? That just sounds like stupidity or ignorance to me. How's that Sony's fault?

[@metallikyle6798]

Arrowhead I can forgive no problem. My problem is Sony selling this game in regions that have no access to PSN knowing it was going to be a requirement.

[@darrellervin1717]

actually its steams fault they stated this was gonna happen in fine print and not big bold letter.

[@ssjmonstar]

Arrowhead caused this problem If they didn't disable it, Those who tried to buy in countries that dosnt have psn would of known and not brought it Arrowhead didn't inform gamers of this or put a warning up

[@Newcattybrownale]

@@darrellervin1717 Its called reading. I found it when I was researching the game. Maybe you should read. That's your fault.

[@Newcattybrownale]

@@ssjmonstar They did warn. Its not their fault you cant read. It literally said it on Feb 9th. Stop being a idiot.

[@3rdtimesacharm84]

​@@NewcattybrownaleIt's the steam users fault for buying a game and then finding out months later that it's unplayable in their region? What an L take.

[@xenocrypt5671]

Sony still retroactively changed their website from PSN being optional to "Some game now require." They are being revisionist with this and deserve no sympathy nor defence. It is now also a fact that the one CM saying they wanted PSN to easily ban players is now also true. That was the intent straight from the horse's mouth. Keeping all your requirements to a discord is also incredibly stupid. There was never any mention of this to steam players from day one. Incredibly unprofessional and mismanaged.

[@TheAlphaOmegaX3]

Exactly! Nothing this guy can say can make Sony not at fault. Sony IS the bad guy here. According to Sonys OWN TERMS making an account was optional. Trying to quietly cover it up on their side completely shows Sony's true colors. All they have to do is give a hero speech like: "Unlike other publishers, we here at Playstation are for the gamers. We believe everyone should have access to our amazing games. That's why we are announcing that none of our games will require anything! If you can buy it, you can play it. Here at Playstation, we value our fan base and look forward to seeing you in our games." All of a sudden Sony would have flipped the situation into a win for everyone including themselves. Will they do that? Would be very profitable to do so.

[@evanhuizenga8626]

@@TheAlphaOmegaX3 Sony AND Arrowhead are both at fault here. Sony for the idiotic requirements and for selling the game in regions where it would be inaccessible, and Arrowhead for terrible communication in regards to making account linking optional, never informing players that it was TEMPORARILY optional, and never giving a date at which it would cease to be optional until now.

[@The_KingDoge]

There was stuff that showed it as mandatory. It wasnt super obvious though

[@xenocrypt5671]

@@The_KingDoge Yes. True, not obvious or something that you can see well. But, the big thing is why wave a "requirement" in the first place? If it is required then make it required. It makes no sense and still just feels like a massive rug pull and show that there is no reason to have PSN be a requirement in the first place.

[@mawnkey]

If there's one thing I really wanted it's Wokesters like their CMs having an easier time banning people. Folks like that have been proven to be the most even-handed, rational, unemotional judges of human behavior ever born for the past decade or so.

[@Rockforce80]

Sony has now turned off the ability for those region locked countries to purchase the game on steam as well. That's the one that gets me the most, is the selling in countries that cant sign up for PSN. Huge, massive fuck up to allow sales in those regions if the plan was always to take access away from them via a PSN requirement. That is the part that feels bait and switchy to me

[@nerine4188]

Exactly.

[@thiccfila]

Yup. Sony messed that up baaaad. It is their responsibility and they are the publisher. It's also possible steam disabled access to cover from refunds. We really aren't 100% sure

[@Brant-vh5mk]

While the security issue is important, this is the most important part for me. They were willing to sell a product to people fully knowing that they would revoke access for seemingly no reason without giving the money back. While I wasn’t personally affected by this, it continues to set the precedent that consumers don’t actually own the things they purchase.

[@MrKardovalk]

Not to all which is wierd like the Baltic ones

[@ssjmonstar]

​@Brant-vh5mk steam was also willing to sell this product knowing that you need a psn Hence the warning on the store front ....

[@Spas176]

Good, good, so now they should act accordingly. There's no applause given here.

[@cykablyat3680]

yeah , the most important part of taking responsability for a mistake is fixing it

[@ayami123]

which they can't undo, as it's per contract, it's not sony's problem it's helldiver's problem. should have kept it sony exclusive to avoid this fiasco

[@jwmdlm07]

Yep nothing is going to change unless we boycott the warbond

[@95Karlsson]

@@jwmdlm07 The game. You need to boycott, the game! Leave a bad review and ask for a refund.

[@Michael-bn1oi]

​@@jwmdlm07 warbond is pointless. Boycott the whole game or don't pretend to be helping lol

[@leftypistolero5983]

I'll believe they're "taking responsibility" when I get my money back.

[@mchonkler7225]

Exactly, I've tried to refund to no avail. If they really were taking responsibility they'd tell steam to refund, no questions asked.

[@DeathbyDusk]

Steam handles the refunds, if you get past the bot that auto rejects games over 2 hours and get a human, they are issuing refunds for some people.

[@cykablyat3680]

the most important impart of taking responsability is fixing their mistake

[@maddlarkin]

CEO admitting he failed to provide proper notification is probably going to help with that one quite a lot when you get to a human

[@AEGISDEFENSE]

You have to apply twice. Once is bot handled, the second is treated as an appeal and is manually reviewed. Thats how the refunds have been going.

[@pensive8552]

When companies do this it's for your data - "give us access to your data or you can't play the game." People should not have to face this ultimatum (coercion), especially not at the kernal level, but we haven't had the power to fight it because people have gotten used to being farmed and violated. None of these signups should be able to be force on a customer.

[@DavidTMSN]

Same thing in the telecommunications world. Cell phone carries selling data. Verizon data breaches. Countless soliciting calls despite listing my number with the FCC.

[@99EKjohn]

So don't have data online to harvest, it's not hard. Stop posting your life story to social media. The complaints about data are so stupid and disingenuous it's not funny. You can sign up for a ps account with a random backup email, you can supply a fake name. It doesn't require any personal information to make a ps account, unless you were stupid enough to let your government take away your online anonymity.

[@Metrikon9000]

You can say the shareholders angle is speculation, but it's really not. It's no conspiracy or anything, it's just how publicly traded companies function. You can ALWAYS count on them to do what is in the best interest of their shareholders, often at the expense of their customers. Period. To assume otherwise is akin to putting your head in the sand.

[@ldcnu]

Not saying you're wrong at all but I think he meant the whole "they're doing it now to show good numbers in Q2 and to compensate the Stellar Blade problem", when in reality it was known with quite more time in advance

[@Rashed1255]

Isn’t putting the shareholders above all a law or something in the US? 🧐 Plz correct me if I’m wrong.

[@manubishe]

Rich people problems. Let the Rot in their own hell. Big corpos are expected to point out where they do their part, until then they are considered as funneling money off loopholes. Them and the shareholders, be it my mom, my brother or my best friend.

[@nickpaben5809]

@@Rashed1255I’m pretty sure it is but it’s not really enforceable most of the time. Like as long as you can make a sound argument that you genuinely believe your decision is what’s best for the company then they can do it. For example if a company received record profits and had a CEO that actually cared about their employees and wanted to give all their employees a raise they could argue that doing so helps retain all their industry leading talent and therefore is vital to the future success of the company.

[@brilobox2]

@@Rashed1255 Fiduciary Responsibility. Its the law in many countries.

[@AthamAldecua]

Eliminate account linking requirements for everyone and I will change my review to positive. That's it.

[@MisterJ355]

Cope or seethe

[@screen_names]

@@MisterJ355we are coping, by leaving negative reviews to show the devs what we want, since they wont listen to reason

[@shhhhh232]

No one slightly important from psn is going to read your post. What a fucking pathetic little shit.

[@drrisen-9442]

You read his one comment right? He meant the comments on and reception his last video, not change your reviews of Helldivers 2 to positive. It’s an easy post to misread, frankly I’m not even sure why he brought it up.

[@Xyler94]

@@MisterJ355 Sorry, are you leaving instructions for yourself?

[@sagitta98]

This is a reminder for other devs to think twice before working with Sony.

[@JoMcD21]

Seems like a reminder to learn how to read at a 5th grade level.

[@FuriouzDragon45]

@@JoMcD21 if you you go to ps homepage and ask about the psn requirement for pc sony game you get an answer that says it is optional before they changed it. Seems like you need to learn how to read.

[@mechanicalsilence1]

I mean... same thing for EA, activision blizzard, etc. Those big companies who only look for profit takes the dumbest decisions thinking gamers are idiots who will do anything for their favorite game. Somehow they never learn, but tbf some people dont care so they're not completely wrong.

[@tobiakilo3413]

​@@JoMcD21Jesus, you're here again? Imagine glazing game corpos. 😂😂😂

[@tobiakilo3413]

@Joe-no7gs Even Sony corrected course, but the fool is out here crying on their behalf 😅

[@ejc83]

If it was known for 6 months before release why was it put for sale in countries and regions that can't make psn accounts - the fact it was sold in those areas shows it never was a requirement it was optional.

[@Yomamacallinbak83]

Take it up with steam - the seller, or sony - the publisher. These two are the ones who handle that.

[@Dandoskyballer]

Sony changed the way it was worded after the fact.

[@kokorochacarero8003]

​​@@Yomamacallinbak83the one who sets up the Steam page and countries where the service is available is sony, not Steam Steam probides the page and all the tools to make sure you sell to your target customer, it's on the publisher to make responsible use of those tools

[@chaosXP3RT]

I can only assume that Sony never expected Arrowhead to turn off the Account Linking to PSN.

[@ejc83]

@@chaosXP3RT and you think steam would risk legal action for selling the game where psn accounts aren't available? I hope steam isn't that incompetent.

[@FirestormHF]

Glad the CEO is at least admitting that they dropped the ball with communication as that was my biggest issue. Joined day 3 and was allowed to skip the psn account with zero indication that it was temporary. Sony selling in countries not supported by the PSN is the other big one but I can't imagine Sony admitting any wrongdoing there.

[@3rdtimesacharm84]

Some of this isn't quite true tho... Like there are other games owned by Sony with PS cross play that do NOT require linking an account such as Destiny. Why is HD2 forced to go through this hurdle and not Destiny?

[@glitchman1272]

Sony is taking a much more hands off approach with Bungie though. Them acquiring Bungie was much more a financial safety net for Bungie than anything else. That's why the new Marathon game is coming to Xbox but Helldivers on Xbox is extremely unlikeky, if not never happening

[@themightykv-5410]

Find it funny that the first Helldivers doesn't require this either

[@glitchman1272]

@@themightykv-5410 Because the game doesn't have crossplay and uses Steamworks instead

[@Mango_Juice56]

The Final Shape comes out June 4th Helldivers gets forced psn in June 4th Coincidence? The Last of Us PvP game was cancelled under bungie’s advice too… Lol maybe it’s all just a ploy to kill HD2 to save Bungie’s shitty money printer and their studio from dying.

[@side7oldtype298]

So in short... "Truth is... the game was rigged from the start."

[@the_true_joz]

Fuck, now i have to replay New Vegas

[@omegaonthefly1977]

@@the_true_jozContinued my modded campaign I started 6 months ago after uninstalling HD2 and I swear the game just refuses to get old.

[@mrmirchi3647]

@@omegaonthefly1977Helldivers 2 only came out 4 months ago?

[@MasoMate]

@@mrmirchi3647he is continuing it after he started it 6 months ago

[@Vorael]

@@mrmirchi3647 He started his NV campaign 6 months ago. He completed it recently after uninstalling HD2.

[@j.w.2271]

Arrowhead made itself a lightning rod for all the hate people around the world have for Playstation Network.

[@Fishtea100]

The boss mandated it. Classic corporate move.

[@Tankerbell83]

I honestly hope every single person that asks for a refund, gets it. Period. Because they very well deserve it, No questions.

[@thecultofcaged]

​@@morebird4318 are you in a region that will lose access? If so call the support number directly If not cope

[@after_midnight9592]

But who sets the steam sales blacklist? Whoever didnt set this up to be aligned with psn, is to blame.

[@thiccfila]

Sony

[@ashenmutant1836]

Sony, it's the publisher's job to set up the sales blacklist on Steam.

[@Usersunited]

I don't believe him. The game was being sold in regions that cannot even make PSN accounts.

[@thiccfila]

That is sonys fault, they are the publisher

[@zra17713]

@@thiccfila If they know they're going to make PSN login mandatory even Before the game launch, then why are the game is able to be purchased in the region where PSN is not available, and the fact Sony change the FAQ on their website about PSN saying that "PSN login is optional" to "PSN login may be required", doesn't help with the argument that the PSN login was mandatory from the first place

[@PathOfDamn]

@@thiccfila This does not make sense. Assuming that they turn off PSN registrations due to influx of players on day one, WHY would they allow the game to be sold on day one to players who CAN'T register to PSN? If this wasn't a bait & switch, they are SUPPOSED TO DISALLOW SALES TO PLAYERS WHO CANNOT REGISTER FOR PSN ON DAY ONE, NOT MONTH THREE.

[@ClearAlera]

How does it not make sense? He is saying it's Sony's fault as the publisher. Arrowhead just makes the game; they are not in charge of where it is sold, they are in charge of how the program runs. Sony through Steam are the ones that sell the game and it's their screwup selling it to people that they knew would get locked out of it.

[@nionex2796]

@@ClearAlera Because a lot of people are uninformed cynics.

[@drivennale8551]

Technical issue or no, they still sold it in 150 countries that do not allow PSN. As for security? I would rather trust my cat with an open can of tuna, than Sony with any of my data, with how leaky that boat is.

[@kato093]

Yeah steam is much better with the 77.000 users a month hacks

[@do0nv]

@@kato093 When has steam ever been hacked? Compare that to Sony's yearly hack.

[@shadboi8927]

​@@kato093its not the same lol

[@missfire9480]

​@@kato093Poor user secuirty (I.e same password for steam and email)or retards clicking bad links.

[@99EKjohn]

​@@do0nv valve literally got hacked and had half life 2 leak 2 years into development. Valve is hilariously bad in the operational security, and anti hack, areas. Vac is a complete joke. Just because valve doesn't make headlines as much as Sony, doesn't mean valve hasn't had massive data breeches. Valve is privately owned, they're not legally required to make it public when they have a security breach, unlike Sony. Proper security habits, like not posting any personal information online and not saving credit card information, makes data breeches like what Sony, and valve, have had irrelevant.

[@dannatagustos2056]

Looks like cross-play with Xbox is not going to happen. If they do, are they required to create a PSN account too?

[@thiccfila]

Yeah they will be lol

[@ShrewdPlacebo98]

I mean with all this going on you still thought Xbox had a chance?

[@hermitmoth6118]

I've wondered for a while now if Microsoft can't just buy the IP from Sony, with the stipulation it doesn't go xbox exclusive. Sony's tanked the game's credibility in a way that won't recover without drastic action, and Microsoft know it's not just a golden goose, but one that can be easily salvaged. This whole situation is a shit show, but it doesn't have to end as one.

[@inqufox1750]

Xbox aint getting this...even if they do it'll solely be to regain a portion of the player base they just lost... and with pretty much every youtuber that does helldivers 2 content showing this cluster fak off...it'll be like a couple thousand players nothing near the 200,000 they are loosing...

[@rokmare]

Sea of thieves requires a Xbox account on PS too 😂

[@quack9355]

"We know players will require to have account but didn't tell the players" Wait... that's fkin ILLEGAL

[@kato093]

Did you know you had to sign in on rockstar to play red dead 2? Activision for warzone? EA for apex? Epic for Fortnite? Ubisoft for rainbow six? Yeah... Highly " illegal"

[@do0nv]

​@@kato093 They require you to do that that before you can even start playing, so there's no bait'n'switch. Not in this case though.

[@udn5006]

@@kato093 Does rockstar, warzone, EA, Epic or ubisoft force it on you 3 months after a games release?

[@quack9355]

@@kato093 Did you know that you are an absolute moron for not understanding the whole situation yet here you are... yapping.

[@munster355]

The answer is "*yes, since day 1, it was never optional and made clear up front*" None of them just forgot to add the login requirement for 3 months, the most profitable period for almost every game ever. ​@@kato093

[@Gatsuuga16]

I appreciate that you put out videos that clearly define fact vs speculations. It makes it much easier to understand all of the hullabaloo around this entire thing. Thanks Mr FilA

[@thiccfila]

Yeah people see this news and say "Sony is tricking everyone to get psn". And it's like no, it was required at the start. They are scummy for other reasons.

[@jackal3y376]

I can't believe Sony is acting like a Shogun that they wouldn't allow Arrowhead to allow players to have freedom, instead being forced to join the PSN for this.

[@Xyler94]

@@U-25D5 I just hope this isn't Sony trying to force PS+ on PC players. Because that will end super badly for them...

[@thecommenter9678]

I can believe it... that's just how big corporations work.

[@KelvGaming]

Sony and AH is now playing the good cop bad cop act, don't waver, don't change your negative review. Pity shown towards AH(good cop) is something Sony will exploit. "See, the negative review isn't as bad as people said it was" Assuming the requirement is mandatory for the 'security and safety' of our game. Disabling that linking from day 1 has put my account on elevated risk, which neither AH nor Sony inform me of, now that's an entire different slippery slopes there so which side of the sword do they want to fall on? The putting my account on elevated risk side, or the nonsense that linking a PSN account boost the security and safety of my account side? Pick your poison Sony and AH. Sony and AH shouldn't be let off the hook here. As much as I love the game, I will not pay a single dollar more on the game regardless of the outcome when the dateline hit, and will refund the game if I am forced to link a PSN. The negative review stays.

[@Yum_Yum_Delicious_Cum]

Damn you're right

[@DuraLexSedLex]

Its unfortunate as well since I genuinely enjoyed the game even through all the frustration and problems it had. But alas, if it gets pushed, then so long and thanks for all the fish.

[@pronstorestiffi]

An interesting part of this whole debacle was the initial wording on why you where required to link the account. The whole purpose of it was in regards to security and banning people. So I wonder what their reasoning is for Ghost of Tsushima to require an account.

[@IRMentat]

Control and shareholder review for the next financial year.

[@DavidTMSN]

Farming data and selling it to the highest bidder so that Sony's account holders can be bombarded with marketing and solicitation via email and cell phone.

[@inyobase127]

Ghosts is implementing an online component. Think it's co op. Hope the requirement is only for the o line component and not the whole game.

[@4000ThousandSmiley]

It's only for their legends coop which requires PSN.

[@ikeamaistr4288]

Even though that the AH CEO admitted it was partially their fault, I do not think they expected this move from Sony. I am so sorry for all the devs who put their hearts and passion into creating a proper live-service game which they enjoyed just as much as the players. Such a rare case in the gaming world... Helldivers 2 brought me back to days when I was so excited to get back home, turn on my PC and gamer. I cannot describe with words how sad I feel seeing Helldivers going down like this...

[@ss_hat]

The subreddit is an absolute cesspit. It's been that way since the first patch.

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

What's wrong

[@ss_hat]

@@airplanes_aren.t_real All politics and complaints. Mostly from people who have no idea what they are talking about. One guy even claimed he was suing Sony, 15k upvotes, and there's actual lawyers laughing at them it the replies lmao.

[@Acranify]

if they do try to push for a compromise (though now after the latest news that the game has been blocked for sale in many regions), and some players wouldent need a psn to play, then it would create a rift in the pc community, where those of us (scandinavian here) that need to sign the contract in blood is going to not be all to happy, considering many of us would prefer not to be forced down that route

[@qu1253]

Ladies and gentlemen, we got 'em. Sony is backtracking on the PSN account requirement.

[@SoraTheKobold]

i honestly feel like a lot of people secretly knew this was the case but just didn't want to accept that 3 months of goodwill could be swiped away like that, it sucks a lot but i at least give credit that the CEO isn't sugarcoating and is straight up owning it also, hi thicccc :333 you keep streaming just as i go to bed and i can't watch ;-;

[@thiccfila]

I always give people mad props for owning up to mistakes. Nobody is perfect. We all human. But it's not a mistake they worked with sony. However Sony owns the helldivers IP. Life is complicated. Hi sora. My sleep schedule is funked lol

[@BAGELMENSK]

The PSN linking was broken as fuck on launch and honestly pissed me off even at the time. I cpmpletely forgot about it because I dont give a shit about "Playstation online" anymore because I'm a PC gamer. If Sony thinks they're gonna drag steam users into their ecosystem via mandatory platform signups, they're just as dumb as ubisoft and everyone who preceded them.

[@johnthomson3827]

not just steam reviews but refunds too, me and my friends already got ours even after 500+ hours of play time

[@mchonkler7225]

I've tried 3 times and I only have ~90hours. What wording did you use to get it to go through?

[@johnthomson3827]

@@mchonkler7225 the first few times you'll be met with a bot but after a while, steam will notice it and will send a representative your way. they will get you your refund. if your in one of the countries that will be loosing access to the game, simply state that.

[@spectywecty]

​@@mchonkler7225explain to Steam how Sony pulled the rug on you by forcing players to link their PSN accounts to have access to the game. I've heard it works better if you're in a country that doesn't have PSN access.

[@IRMentat]

@@mchonkler7225support tickets not refund requests, wording like data security worries, recent changes to Terms of service, PSN limitations if in such an affected country. And if all else fails don’t sign up and try again once the change is put in place.

[@johnthomson3827]

@@mchonkler7225 didnt notice youtube deleted my response, keep trying until you get through to an actual person instead of a bot, they will get you your refund

[@mymindnoturs2286]

Your wrong the FAQ on Arrowheads helldivers website said all playstation network linking was optional before the may annoucement then it was changed to some games require so yes the bait and switch analogy is accurate from arrowheads on FAQ about PSN.

[@WindupTerminus]

As of yesterday the PSN store page for helldivers 2 still said a PSN account was optional for PC players

[@ScuzzMB]

This is almost on Arrowhead - and Sony on trusting them to make business decisions. Whether as a player, we agree with those business decisions or not, Sony was lax in policing this. Sony is going to be Sony, what you'd expect from a big corporation - of course if they wanted to require this they were going to do it, but they trusted Arrowhead and Steam to manage this relationship for them. In the end, we don't know for sure WHO'S responsibility to make sure that this game was region locked for sale based on the requirement, but I'm going to guess that this was jointly Arrowhead and Sony's F-up jointly, but I'm surprised no one at Sony, knowing Steam was a global platform, wouldn't have been auditing how this project was sold.

[@daelgus]

When it comes to regional information, that is solely on the publisher. They are in charge of the distribution information, so sony would be at fault for this.

[@Moravuscz]

Linking was working for me and I was prompted during initial game setup on March 18th, a bit over a month after launch.

[@flucke1000]

Sony was and has always been a shit in our mouths.

[@uwize5897]

honestly it doesnt matter "whose fault" it is. the game has been soured for me and ive lost interest.

[@kapislap]

i am just curious if people do ask and get a refund will they also be refunded super credits if they bought some .. id doubt it but im just curious. im to addicted to refund lol but the thought just crossed my mind for others

[@damiancartagena2774]

So we aren't getting that laser cannon deep dive? 😢

[@lazymanwonderland1408]

Bottom line is Sony can’t be trusted with my steam info. I’d rather protect my account than play HD2

[@99EKjohn]

Linking accounts doesn't give them any real steam info. Oh wow they have your steam id, which anyone can Google or even get in game at any time.

[@lazymanwonderland1408]

@@99EKjohn I don’t really care, at least not as much as you do. They already made PSN link optional

[@99EKjohn]

@@lazymanwonderland1408 I know they did, but that's irrelevant to your ignorant argument. What data do you think steam gives Sony when the account is linked? If the answer is anything more than steam id, account name, and maybe display name, you're wrong. Steam linked logins are all over websites, those logins share the same info with those websites, as steam does Sony, maybe even more since it will share your item inventory if it's not private.

[@clintmcbride7830]

All this drama and yet there are 137,000 current active players at 11am (central time US) on a SUNDAY. This is also after the removal of all affected regions from the player base. With how it's looking, I doubt Sony will even care. Please let me be wrong though, please. I just want to get back tge Helldivers who were unceremoniously forced back into civilian life.

[@DammalleNamenweg]

Compared with last week on sunday at the same time the SteamUser dropped from 130.000 to 90.000; hard to tell how much is PSN and how much is general fatigue.

[@after_midnight9592]

PSN login is not yet mandatory. That purge will happen in 1 month. People should play while they can, before moving on.

[@Vadim_Ibragimov]

@@after_midnight9592 plus the flow of new players on steam is stopped now. Perhaps, it was the last weekend, when hd 2 has seen 100+ online

[@brunothebat4122]

Got a question, why not have it be fully optional with it being with promotional Sony armor instead?

[@mathieugirod6485]

To note, the sony FAQ page did state that the psn connection was optional for their online game THEN they changed it to mandatory for some games (i believe that change was done may the 3rd). Some people have also said that it wasn't stated as mandatory in their EULA tho i need confirmation for this one. In game, it was also phrased weirdly during the deactivated phase where they stated that "You can come back later to sign up" instead of "You will have to come back later to sign up". Apparently there is also a problem in some countries where the PSN i only available if you have a console and wont work otherwise...... It's just chaos at this point...

[@tejasshastha5457]

They should still offer a one time global refund to everyone. That’s the only way this game repairs its reputation.

[@callmethreeone]

The linking was not in the EULA or on the steam page at the time I purchased, it's pretty easy to go back and look. That is the definition of bait and switch. We know who is jumping on Sony's ship.

[@justinmacdonald2102]

I havent personally checked but another video claimed that the game has been removed from around 100 countries on steam as of today

[@punishedgwynie]

where do you get that 10-20% number?

[@MrDolearon]

I pre ordered the game on steam, linking accounts was never mandatory it was optional and an opt in option which I declined and was givin the option to decline.

[@jonathanrussell6525]

Considering how little this CEO statement makes sense with everything considered, I can practically hear the gun to the CEO’s head when writing those tweets.

[@C.u.d.s]

Is it that hard to make a PSN outside of your country to link? Just curious

[@iemozzomei]

You see, I had to make an account and linked it first time I played. It didn't let me skip, and I got the game a bit after launch as well. So all this is news to me lmao. I thought it was mandatory the whole time, how the hell did so many people miss that?

[@PopPhyzzle]

This is your perennial reminder to support monopoly busting legislation in your country.

[@uzi4667]

I think someone said that: "Making it so people who cannot have/create a PSN shouldn't be required to have one and all the countries that can create one should remain the same" is not justifiable, purely because if the sole purpose of this is a security reason, then how are they going to supposedly "ban" cheaters and griefers over there.. point being if it gets dropped it should be dropped for all.

[@interceptor4049]

I agree with everything said, but I just have one problem. Why would they sell the game in regions where you can’t get a PSN from launch?

[@speedy8578]

Strange i preordered the super citizen edition and played day one and i was never required to make a psn account or link one, and i definitely don't plan to anytime soon.

[@hotpenguin607]

Explaining why they messed up Does Not change the fact they royally messed up Negative review Stays until they compensate us in a satisfactory way Personally, my negative review stays until they stop rebalancing 2 billion times Feels good not playing the game as I get to go back to my other hobbies now, like guitar and stuff

[@99EKjohn]

Bye Felicia, live service games get constant balance changes, heck even 20 year old games like TF2 got massive balance changes, which actually screwed up the competitive scene. They don't owe you any compensation either, they are dropping the requirement, that's all anyone was owed.

[@hotpenguin607]

Hi johnny boy, I was originally going to spell out in great detail why it does not make sense to push out 5 balance changes within 3 months, with a bunch of unlisted changes that shifts the power, performance, role, and user experience of weapons, that is guided by the idea of levelling the usage stats of all weapons for a diverse player base with different preferences instead, but I compressed it in 1 sentence so that it can be read before the urge to promptly reply takes over.

[@99EKjohn]

@@hotpenguin607 yet that's not an argument against balancing. When I was working on a game as a hobby I changed balance daily if not hourly.

[@PMMillard]

If it was going to be mandatory for launch... then why did the psn account creation page ingame have a giant "SKIP" button? This was a bait and switch from day 1

[@mcchickengrip423]

what do you say about sony retroactively changing their EULA from saying "psn account linking is optional for psn games on pc" to "some psn games may require a psn account"?

[@andrewka57]

It is a shame that this is happening. I myself had to create a PSN account day 1, and I didn't even realize when they disabled the requirement. Looking back on it, Arrowhead should have had a widget in the menu somewhere saying that the requirement was temporarily disabled and would be reactivated at a later date. With the server issues that plagued the game for the first month, the small team at Arrowhead had their hands full. It is definitely messed up that Sony allowed sale of the game in non PSN countries. Really is just so weird how quickly Sony changed the faq page for accounts.

[@zinney9316]

When you make a deal with the devil. The devil comes to collect.

[@da_001]

this. boycott soyny

[@MovieTacular]

Player from a region locked country here. Now, the mere fact that in 2024 there are places in the world where you can't play a game aside... They took the game away from me. Literally. I have no idea how this will play out, but I'm afraid my last Dive is May 30th.

[@inyobase127]

Surprised you're even continuing till may 30. May as well bow out now. I have serious doubts that Sony will back pedal.

[@GnarledStaff]

Question: its the PS+, not the PSN account that requires a credit card number, right? The fact that Sony gets hacked every few years won’t affect people that link the account to steam, will it?

[@Deram1Axres]

Same boat, was on vacation (out of country) when the game launched, bought it when I got back, had no idea there was a PSN requirement. May have been on the store page, but honestly I rarely look at the right side of any steam page outside of looking at the review scores. And the notice on PSN required me to scroll down, which I had no reason to do on a game I had so many friends playing. Maybe Steam could move notices like that up by the developer/publisher, because I doubt I'm the only person who doesn't scroll down 90% on a Steam page. Posting this after Sony backed off anyway, but still a valid point I think.

[@DisIngRaM]

See, pilestedt's wording. He's not backing away from the PSN link, he is still pushing for it, in softer manner.

[@Sketchy.Slime.]

It's definitely just the way they're going about it that's causing so much discourse. If I found a new restaurant that was blowing up with positive review scores and friends kept recommending it to me, then I may be tempted to check it out. Imagine going to that restaurant and them saying "Hey, welcome! Now, we had planned on forcing a colonoscopy upon any person who ate in this establishment, but the equipment isn't functioning properly at this time, so you're in luck we aren't forcing those right now! Come in and eat." Then 3 months later the restaurant staff shows up on my doorstep with a Gastroenterologist and says "Alright, it's time! Where would you like to do this?" I'd be a little taken aback

[@Carsian]

That is the wildest analogy for this discourse I've ever seen I almost spat my drink while reading it

[@dabrigadier1101]

We don't have PSN here but I just found out earlier that the game is sold in brick and mortar stores in my country for the PS5 console. This is what I don't get, if Sony planned all along to restrict the game for non PSN countries, why would it sell the PS5 version of the game to countries not eligible for a PSN account? Why would they sell the console locally? Does buying a PS5 console make you eligible for a PSN account?

[@Orain88]

It was never required. I was playing on day 1 and it never said it was a requirement. It's doubly obnoxious since they haven't even offered cross progression.

[@ablebale1369]

nobody thought about the players/customers except for the players

[@blacknemesy]

It's pretty cool that AH has 4 people on support for 3 months and suddenly that is part of the argument why it needs to go to PSN. Going as big as they are going one would imagine outsourcing support was how they dealt with all the issues but apparently 4 people is all it took? Anyone buying that?

[@tharmir]

Its a little blurry the part of being mandatory. There where official sites where they said it wasnt, and changed it afterwards.

[@WannabeSpaceman]

This is probably the first level headed take I've seen on the situation, I'm glad you made this video and it needs to be seen by the larger community

[@stereolotus77]

Not to discredit this boycott, but why does it take this much impact to cause a problem? I said this would happen the day I read the TOS/EULA and this problem isn't just a PSN problem, but some people couldn't play due to the anti-cheat. This is overall a much larger issue than just helldiver's and Sony. This style of business has been around a while and nothing has been done about it. It is a much larger game industry issue. Arrowhead has done so many good things for the industry, I hope they make the right decision and come back to being positive in the industry.

[@thiccfila]

Yeah I've also noticed massive issues with this game and practices but just been chilling gaming since its fun lol. You're not wrong stereo

[@IRMentat]

Invoke any change like this 3 MONTHS after purchase and a lot of people aren’t going to take it well. There is still NO IN GAME NOTIFICATION or this change in login requirements or the TOS. I have not used PlayStation in 10+ years, no clue if my old login even works anymore. If it wants a copy of my ID and a picture like some regions I’m trying for a refund. I have 99% of the game completed already this change was clearly not a “requirement” for play. Also, origin shrank and is dying, I play rebranded, battle net rebranded, GOOGLE stadia DIED, SOnY ultraviolet was shot down, Games for windows live was shut down, anyone played planetside 1 recently? How’s that wii u Nintendo store going?The list goes on. Now tell me again that companies bending customers over the barrel for no damned reason is perfectly normal and isn’t fought back against enough. This kind of change is slow because these companies are worth BILLIONS and are backed by trillionaire investment funds.

[@stereolotus77]

@@IRMentat I would argue that players don't do it enough though. I was more so directing it at the Anit-Cheat system as very few people actually care about that problem despite it being a huge problem. These companies all they needed was a simple rebrand to escape problems with TOS changes. Blizzard still gets tons of players to play their games, I am not familiar with the Nintendo house of things so that's nice to hear that people did go against it if there was reason, Google had no foot in the game for stadia to stand on there were several thousand more reasons they failed than privacy and TOS issues. Windows live is still in use and PC gamepass isn't much different to my understanding. My argument is why stand on this issue, but not advocate for those that cannot play due to Kernel level anti-cheats preventing Linux OS players from trying to play or the security concerns there are with a Kernel level anti-cheat. Mutahar talks regularly about the negative aspects on Kernal level anti-cheats and has for a long time yet very little has been done.

[@99EKjohn]

​​@@stereolotus77 nothing wrong with the anti cheat other than it not being good enough. They could have poached a few devs from esea, faceit, or epic/valorant, and created a better anti cheat. If you can't run game guard, steam will refund you, no questions, because you have no time in the game. There's absolutely nothing wrong with game guard having kernel access, it's literally the only way to make an even half decent anti cheat. Mutahar is an idiot too then, how many years of hack development does he have? Oh none, he's not even a software engineer.

[@stereolotus77]

@@99EKjohn There is an extreme security risk with using software like that. I have experience in the field, I can tell you first hand Kernel level access shouldn't be required to run any software that is optional such as a video game. When you give something that access you're giving it access to all current and prior information that has ever been stored on your device and the right to over rule you on your own computer. They still go off of a report system so this anti cheat doesn't even do anything other than look pretty and be a security hazard. If it actually did it's job I could maybe see an argument, but I'd never play due to the security risk and Linux users or virtual machine users would still not be able to play the games. Which has been a growing problem of us being cut out of the gaming space.

[@vassarholamon]

Helldiver 1 is a PS Game. Been out 9 years. Never required to have or access or link PSN to play.

[@bobbygrinns3003]

Only game from that era requiring a link was Minecraft...... Hmmmmmm

[@phatlokki]

What primary is that?

[@wolfsaints]

Yeah, it was even mentioned in the launch trailer in the little prints under the platform the game was be

[@maddlarkin]

So the CEO admits he lied, well, good on him, means absolutely nothing, he probably only did it because Sony told him to as they were pissed at being thrown under the bus, well guess I will look for that refund since he admited fault. They saw the numbers rolled in and waited till the sales flatlined then gave it long enough to be outside the refund period for Steam, it's scummy behaviour whatever way you cut it and right now Im sure he does want to reverse course as if Steam starts giving ou5 refunds his company is completely up shit creek

[@reversereverse6543]

what specifically did he lie about?

[@maddlarkin]

@@reversereverse6543 well I'd argue that when he said "I did not ensure players were aware of the requirement" thats admitting a lie of omission, they knew about this, they knew it would be an issue, they stayed slient and didn't try and communicate it. I'd also say that admitting he knew 6 months ago it was manadatory makes his comments about talking to Playstation now for solutions and the line about the voices being heard a little disingenous at best as the time to talk about solutions was before you sold a shit tonne of games to people who will lose access or not want a PSN account. There will likely be more in coming days, Spitz's comments (taking Arrowhead as a whole) advising everyone to leave negative reviews to give them leverage would seem a little out of keeping the CEO's statement, it seems unlikely Arrowhead wasn't onboard with a decsion made 6 months ago, but maybe the CEO didn't communicate it to his team clearly which would be a whole other level

[@reversereverse6543]

@@maddlarkin fair enough

[@MisterKillJoy1]

You're the first youtuber I've seen that has analysed the situation with level headedness rather than the incoherent angry rants I've seen other youtubers do. You've earned yourself a sub!

[@thiccfila]

Thank you. I got massively down voted on my video yesterday that said exactly this before the ceo confirmed it for me today. I feel kind of vindicated lol

[@MisterKillJoy1]

@thiccfila gamers will be gamers and will attack anyone who they disagree with

[@jakeogroton]

It doesn't matter if the intention was there or not, or if they planned it from the beginning or it came later to be a bait and switch it still stands that it is.

[@3ntarii]

I was there when the game launched and I did *not* create and link a PSN profile so no, not *everyone* made an account in the beginning.

[@exqueue3813]

Word is that people are already locked out of the game in non-psn countries.

[@rakeeth]

There's plenty of stuff to criticize both Sony and AH for without lying.

[@99EKjohn]

Then those would be lies. I'm literally playing daily with a dude from Vietnam, he signed up for a ps account in Thailand, but it's not linked because they took the linking away, he'll be playing after the 30th no issues though.

[@rackem6724]

Reminds me of the South Park BP oil spill episode. "I'm Sorry I cheated you"

[@mcsquared198]

So sorry. Hehehe kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2arhZdqitJko5Y

[@MooneShadow]

i was looking so forward to the stories and great things that were coming. Now with losing players this is going to be horrible for the game. What's worse is there are regional people that loved the game and now have no choice but to give it up over some dumb requirement. Sad...

[@JohnCivor]

But the thing is if its planned to implement the psn linking from the beginning why they sell the game on the region that doesn't have access to psn in the first place.. that one is most sus thing they have done i can say its kinda bait and switch the player on those region.

[@Rashed1255]

This doesn’t affect me much personally cuz I’m on PS5, but I’m a bit mixed on it. I didn’t even know about linking being temporarily optional until the controversy. I think multiple parties are to blame, Arrowhead for not making it more obvious, though there was a pop-up it should have stayed, Sony for selling where they shouldn’t, & Steam for allowing it. I think most people will just make an account anyway and move on, they’re just angry it was a surprise due to lack of communication, or maybe this was just a tipping point? Almost every game requires or recommends a secondary account now, Activision, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Capcom, & now Sony, we usually just make an account, link and move on.

[@sarokh666]

PlayStation recently revealed they're not going to force players to make a PSN account to play HD2. They posted it on Twitter. 🤘🏻

[@ryan1000011]

in fairness i knew all this from how it was all going down HOWEVER it's not the arrowhead ceo's sole choice to turn it off if there was contractual agreements the ceo would have to get the ok from Sony too delay the requirements. this means that showing sony that the community still doesn't want it is still what people should be doing and wallet voting is all they'll take notice of

[@DefectiveTh]

I'm from a country where you can't make a PSN account. Can't even email the support team, man. I just hope you guys stand up for your rights and keep people's data safe, because I know how it feels to not be able to say anything.

[@Hollywood113807]

The thing is, I'm pretty damn sure I did create a PSN account when I started playing towards the end of march because I remember being annoyed by it.

[@randomxgen6167]

Good on him for taking some responsibility, but I hope Sony doesn't take that as reason to drop the issue. Arrowhead CEO might've forgotten remind people the PSN was temporarily suspended, but that's far less egregious than Sony's mistake. Sony, as the veteran in the games industry with a net worth in the billions, sold the product that requires PSN in regions that do not have PSN. They are just that stupid.

[@jerrebrasfield4231]

I am giving them until Tuesday to remove the mandatory sign up before i call for refund

[@BreakingWildGaming]

Well done on producing a balanced discussion on this disaster. Many youtubers and streamers are creating more drama and speculation than needed, more than likely to boost their views. Looking at player number in game, it appears that many PC players have simply linked accounts and continued to enjoy their game.

[@ryft02]

its also a matter of data protection sony is notorious for being hacked every couple years and in some countries like the UK it requires you to scan a government ID and then confirm its you with a face scan in order to set up your account, trusting sony with information that sensitive is something lots of people have problems with.

[@99EKjohn]

Take the id requirements up with the government, that's not Sony's problem nor something they advocated for. Yes people in the UK are dumb, what's new. Maybe don't give the government the ability to make a law like that. Maybe don't give away your right to self defense and make it so your government is no longer scared of you.

[@owencole2406]

It was in the updates at the bottom they all have it. Well most of them have it, it’s just that people never checked.

[@J_rolly.b]

Honestly based on the reaction that ive seen across youtube, anecdotally with friends, and other parts of the internet, the player base of this game is gonna get cut in half compared to what it was last week. I mean today less then 90,000 helldivers on a weekend???

[@J_rolly.b]

this did not age well and i am happy

[@velez910]

I had no idea about the pn stuff. I had just added it to my wish list then bought from there later. Ans now as my fired went to buy it we get the notice so they didn't buy it. Now I got a game none of my friends want. And all I wanted to do was play with them. I also refuse to do third party links. Iv asked for a refund we will see.

[@MrMeneldor]

After 2 days the heat is starting to going down, it was a huge mistake to post that on a friday without warning, and don't talk more about the situation previously, but it's done and now we have to wait to see how things will settle. It was really stupid to sell the game where the PSN is not available, it's probably the biggest mistake. My account is linked, it was asked when I first launched the game, I didn't remember if it was possible to skip it.

[@baconx6476]

If Sony is changing the wording on their PSN linking requirement on the FAQ, then chances are that they will not revert this change. They are on a crusade to get more PSN user numbers, and if they backpedal on it, this give precedence for players to push them back more in the future. I feel really bad for those affected and hope that they all can get a refund, but I have very little hope of Sony actually changing this unfortunately. I think the game will still go on, albeit with a smaller playerbase and less players joining forward, but there will be enough to support AH in future endeavor.

[@stripycascade13]

This is the first video I see that tells both sides of the story to find the truth of the situation. Great overview! I feel that regardless if you are in a PSN qualified country or not; it should be universally optional. If I am on steam and only owned PC and xbox gear, why do I want PlayStation to clutter my junk mail so they can collect data. (Not in regards to stocks) Isn't banning done through steam anyway?