Helldivers 2 enjoyers playing on PC via Steam will now have to create a PlayStation account they can link to the Valve app for security purposes.
The message for PC players went out this afternoon via the Helldivers 2 social media accounts.
In case you can’t read the embedded Tweet above, here’s the full text from the game’s Steam page:
Attention Helldivers,
Due to technical issues at the launch of HELLDIVERS™ 2, we allowed the linking requirements for Steam accounts to a PlayStation Network account to be temporarily optional. That grace period will now expire. See details below in this post.
Account linking plays a critical role in protecting our players and upholding the values of safety and security provided on PlayStation and PlayStation Studios games. This is our main way to protect players from griefing and abuse by enabling the banning of players that engage in that type of behaviour. It also allows those players that have been banned the right to appeal.
As such, as of May 6th, all new HELLDIVERS 2 players on Steam will be required to connect their Steam account to a PlayStation Network account. Current players on Steam will start to see the mandatory login from May 30th and will be required to have linked a Steam and PlayStation Network account by June 4th. PlayStation Network accounts are free and easy to set up using this link
https://www.playstation.com/support/account/create-account-for-psn/We understand that while this may be an inconvenience to some of you, this step will help us to continue to build a community that you are all proud to be a part of.
Many thanks for your continued support of HELLDIVERS 2!
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Connecting your accounts across platforms isn’t really anything new. Making it a mandatory condition for playing the game into the future does strike me as a new one, though. PlayStation says having a PS account connected to Steam will increase player security in Helldivers 2, using its systems to track instances of griefing and abuse, and issuing bans as they are reported. PlayStation’s systems also give those who believe they’ve been given incorrect bans a right of appeal. We’ve reached out seeking further details.
On the face of it, it would seem to be a bold play for Super Earth to harvest delicious user data and player metrics right into the PlayStation gigamind.
Even if the request is benign, and creating a PS account is a fairly straightforward and hassle-free process for most, one wonders why PlayStation didn’t just make it mandatory for the Steam version of Helldivers 2 from the beginning. It feels like waiting a while and enforcing it now, months after launch, will turn far more heads than if it had just been there from the start.
Thoughts? Feelings? Concerns? Comment below.
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