Things have gone from bad to worse when it comes to the PSN controversy surrounding Helldivers 2, to the point where players are getting Steam refunds for the game that they shouldn’t be qualified for.
Helldivers 2 was an unqualified success for PlayStation. The company is desperate to have live-service games on its platform and while many of these games tend to crater on the spot, Arrowhead Game Studios’ offering took off. Making things even better is that the game proved to be a hit on both PlayStation 5 and PC, with Helldivers 2 shooting up the player count totem pole on Steam.
The wheels came off very suddenly. Sony announced that the previously unenforced requirement of a PlayStation Network account to play would be implemented after four months of the game being available in markets that don’t have access to the PSN. The move drew the outrage of fans and Arrowhead alike, with the studio distancing itself from both the decision and its announcement. Now Valve itself is joining in on the action.
Helldivers 2 de-listed from Steam across numerous markets
Helldivers 2 is no longer available for sale on Steam in some markets.
This comes after Sony’s announcement of a PSN account being required to play the game. While many games require a third-party account to play, Steam is available in many more countries than the PSN is. This means that players have been able to purchase Helldivers 2 when, according to the PSN’s terms of service, they shouldn’t have been able to.
It’s unclear whether the de-listing of Helldivers 2 from Steam came from Valve, Arrowhead, or Sony.
Arrowhead issued a statement on Discord that Helldivers 2 will continue being playable even to those who don’t have access to the PlayStation Network. Some fans have already opted out however, and Valve is proving to be happy to oblige that maneuver.
Helldivers 2 getting Steam refunds, who is eligible?
Valve is giving refunds to PC players for Helldivers 2 purchases on Steam.
It’s unclear what logic Valve is utilizing regarding Helldivers 2 refunds, as players are reporting that their refund requests have been honored despite playing for more than two hours. Typically, players can only get a refund for a game if they have played it for under two hours. It’s unknown if Valve is uniformly honoring all refund requests or if the company is picking and choosing based on players’ regions.
Though Valve publicly pretends that its rules are ironclad, that’s been disproven on many occasions with everything from refunds to VAC bans. Players looking to protest the game, and those who played it for a while but simply didn’t like it, have a shot at getting their money back.
