Helldivers 2 director still talking to PlayStation and Valve about relisting the shooter "everywhere" after PSN mandate saw the game pulled in over 170 countries

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The spread of managed democracy takes time

Helldivers 2 Polar Patriots Warbond helldiver running with purifier
(Image credit: Sony)

Helldivers 2's game director and studio head is still working to get the shooter back on storefronts of countries it was delisted from last week.

In the wake of announcing that all Helldivers 2 players on PC would need to link to an active PSN account last week, Arrowhead's shooter was summarily delisted from 170 countries around the world that didn't have access to Sony's PSN. The stipulation might have been walked back, but Helldivers 2 still remains delisted in countries without PSN access.

The fallout from the situation surrounding the mandatory PSN account is still an ongoing issue for Arrowhead. The studio's community manager was seemingly fired earlier this week for requesting players review-bomb Helldivers 2 in order to send a message about the mandatory PSN account linking. "I knew I was taking a risk with what I said," the developer wrote in a message to players.

Right now, there definitely isn't a schedule for getting Helldivers 2 back on the delisted storefronts around the world, given Pilestedt's statement, although it's a relief the director is actively working on it. Considering Valve broke its own Steam refunding rule to issue refunds for aggrieved players last week, maybe that's a positive sign for engagement with Arrowhead.

Elsewhere, Helldivers 2 devs are worried it's "tone deaf" to drop a new Warbond so soon after the whole PSN kerfuffle, so they're letting voters decide "in true democratic fashion."

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.