Helldivers 2 Policy Reversal Has To Teach PlayStation The Right Lesson

Summary Helldivers 2 players successfully pushed back against Sony's anti-consumer PSN requirement for PC players.

Sony's reversal on the PSN mandate for Helldivers 2 highlights the importance of ethical game policies.

Sony needs to prioritize ethical practices over legal loopholes in order to maintain trust with consumers.

Sony has backed down from its requirement that Helldivers 2 players on PC link the game with a PlayStation Network account, but the company needs to learn the right lesson from this and stop attempting to implement anti-consumer policies in the first place. The Helldivers franchise holds a special place in the history of PlayStation PC gaming releases, since the original 2015 game was the first Sony-published title released on Windows. It would seem Sony did not learn the expectations of PC gaming fans in the subsequent nine years, since a mandated PSN account link was bound to irk PC players.

When the announced PC Helldivers 2 update required PSN account linking to continue to play the game, the game’s fanbase was rightfully upset. Review bombing and requests for refunds ensued, and it would seem Sony did take notice and reversed the decision. While some contrarians pointed out that the game’s Steam page warned of the coming need for a linked PSN account, this fails to distinguish between what a gaming company is allowed to do, legally, and what it should do, ethically. A policy being noted in the EULA that players are forced to accept does not make it appropriate.

The PC version of Helldivers 2 was pulled from sale in over 170 countries where Steam is available, but PSN accounts are not, before Sony reversed course on the PSN requirement.

The Helldivers 2 Policy Brought A Highly Public Blowback

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The Helldivers 2 PSN account issue received considerable attention, including articles from gaming publications, making it a highly visible mistake for Sony. Canceling the PC update may help preserve some goodwill from the gaming community, and aid Helldivers 2’s momentum, but it should have been obvious from the outset that the requirement was inappropriate. Many regions have access to Steam but lack PSN access, and having a PSN account adds no value to gaming fans that exclusively play PC games. Most importantly, it should not require a public outcry to illustrate that game publishers need to act ethically towards consumers.

2:05 Related Helldivers 2 Director Asks Fans To Stop Comparing It To A Major Competitor Helldivers 2 director Johan Pilestedt requests that fans stop comparing the multiplayer shooter to an iconic Microsoft classic FPS franchise.

Sony is not alone in its overreach and anti-consumer behaviors, as Nintendo issued Gary’s Mod a takedown to stop unauthorized use of its IPs, and waged war on game preservation with its anti-emulation lawsuits. PlayStation faced criticism for its $70 USD game releases normalizing the practice, as well as its charges for PS5 owners to access the current gen versions of owned PS4 titles. Consumer reactions are sometimes divided on these actions, as some rationally advocate their own self-interest as gaming fans, while others defend the unethical actions of gaming corporations, noting that they are acting within their legal rights.

Many video game End User License Agreements routinely include unethical elements, often requiring compulsory arbitration for legal disputes in an effort to avoid lawsuits, and these agreements are typically required in order to play the game.

While Sony backed down from Helldivers 2’s PSN requirement, the company’s response leaves it unclear whether any lessons have been internalized. In an official X (formerly Twitter) post, PlayStation stated, “We’re still learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable.” This feedback should not have been needed, however. A cursory review of a policy that requires PC players to obtain an account associated with PlayStation consoles and services improperly favors the interests of the business, Sony, over that of consumers, making it the very definition of an anti-consumer practice. This was obvious before the highly publicized outcry.

Sony Should Have Seen That Its Helldivers 2 Policy Was Wrong

PSN Requirements For PC Games Is Anti-Consumer

This is not the only incident showcasing Sony’s tone-deaf attitude towards its fans. Sony is being sued by players based on the closed ecosystem of PSN and its accompanying price fixing. The practice of leaning on high-profile console exclusives instead of letting its hardware and services present a legitimate value proposition is well known to PlayStation fans. Seeing more PlayStation titles ported to PC is a good thing and opens access to these games to a wider audience. The additional sales should have been enough, without attempting to coax PC players into the PlayStation ecosystem through a PSN account requirement.

2:13 Related Helldivers 2 Armor Update Idea Gets The Community's Stamp Of Approval A passionate Helldivers 2 player pitches an incredibly smart of updating the game's different armor sets to make them even more unique and exciting.

For Helldivers 2 fans playing on PC, the result is a definitive win. It should not take coordinated review bombings and widespread coverage to convince a corporation to do the right thing and avoid blatantly anti-consumer tactics. PlayStation’s statement that it is “learning about PC players” suggests the company needs to learn lessons about all consumers, and act under standards based on what is ethically appropriate, not what a company can legally get away with. Sony’s lesson from Helldivers 2 should not be about reacting to consumer outcry, but to use judgment, to avoid the need for such displays altogether.

Source: PlayStation/X