The Helldivers community is upset - and for good reason.
Boy, do I have an update for you!
PlayStation's recent decision to require players to sign into their PSN account to play Helldivers has sent shockwaves through our gaming community. Helldiver enthusiasts, who have been flocking to the game in droves, are understandably upset. The game that once united players across platforms and borders is now being restricted by PlayStation, leaving PC players and those in other countries unable to join the fun.
Why would PlayStation do such a thing? Aren't Helldiver devs angry about this requirement, too?
A game whose sole message is freedom, democracy, and fighting against evil was on course to being shoved into a limited player space.
Gamers Strike Back
What was actually going on? How can this game already face such a horrible downfall four months after its release? And why was Big Game Corp. gatekeeping the greatest game ever released?
It's pretty ironic that a game such as Helldivers, whose message is for liberty and democracy, is getting struck down and shackled by the gaming giants.
With such overreach on all gaming platforms, I hoped Arrowhead wouldn't cave into the gaming tyrants because the phenomenon clearly indicates what gamers have wanted for years. An online platform focused strictly on goofing off, making new friends, and defeating a common enemy. Its Space Troopers as a video game! The fact that PlayStation enacted this plan to only allow playstation users access to the game makes it feel like they have no connection to the gaming community or are even in touch with gamers' interests. I can see where Playstation was going with this, but they did not realize how big and how damaging this would be for Arrowhead studios.
The Helldiver community started sending one-star reviews tarnishing the Helldivers 2 game. It was done with great pain, of course, but the developers at Arrowhead Studios and all of Playstation had to know that we gamers were NOT HAPPY. So within hours of the Helldivers community striking back after this news, and with great effort that would overwhelm legions of Automatons and Terminids alike, players made a difference. With what I hope was common sense, PlayStation quickly reversed course and rescinded its decision. Whew. Crisis averted.
So, whats next?
The greatest game the world has seen in years was almost nerfed. This should serve as a wake-up call to all small and indie game developers. Big game companies seem to be out of touch with their gamers, and small gaming companies like Arrowhead Studios must be aware of this. The direct player interaction that Arrowhead developers have with their gamers is the very reason why people are falling in love with the game. It also means the players are going to fight to keep this game untouched by the greed of big game corporations.
Hopefully, this will be the only hiccup Arrowhead Studios experiences, but that remains to be seen. For now, the Helldivers community has done its part to fight for its game. Hopefully, PlayStation will remember this and think twice before gatekeeping a popular game.
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