Helldivers 2 will require Steam players to link to a PSN account

Attention, Democracy Defenders: Helldivers 2 will soon require players on Steam to link their account to a PlayStation Network account. According to the announcement, all new players on Steam will be required to link to a PSN account starting May 6th, while current players will have a little bit longer, with mandatory enforcement delayed until June 4th.

According to Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios, linking to a PSN account was always going to be a requirement for Steam players, and the policy is there to ensure players are protected from griefing and other in-game abuses. But the game’s community isn’t buying it, vociferously protesting the decision on social media and on Steam itself.

Shortly after the announcement, the game saw a flood of negative reviews, receiving over 14,000 negative reviews today alone on Steam.

Though PSN accounts are free and quick to make, players do have reason to be upset. PSN isn’t available everywhere, and this move could potentially lock players in certain countries out of their game permanently. Players have also expressed concern about the security of their data. Sony recently suffered a data breach, though the information stolen was connected to employees and not customers.