In fact, sales of an upcoming PlayStation-exclusive PC port have already been restricted, even though its release is almost a week away… that doesn’t sound good, and don’t be surprised if players find “other ways” to play it.

Although you no longer need a PlayStation Network account to play Helldivers 2 on PC, it’s still problematic to buy it on Steam. If a particular country or territory is not served by Sony’s network, it is still not possible to purchase the game on Valve’s platform there. On Twitter, Helldivers Alerts shared what Johan Pilestedt, the CEO of Arrowhead, the developer of the game, had to say about this. According to him, he’s still talking to his PlayStation and Valve partners to end this embarrassing situation, because it was a herculean task for them to stop the account linking issue, but he won’t let it go because he wants his game to be available for purchase everywhere (because it’s a way to prevent thousands of potential players from joining the audience…).

CEO Addresses Delisted Countries pic.twitter.com/4lHLvFdIAx

— Helldivers Alerts (@HelldiversAlert) May 9, 2024

This is probably Sony’s petty revenge, as Arrowhead’s community manager Spitz has also been removed from his position for asking players to give Helldivers 2 a negative review on Steam because of the mandatory PSN account a week ago. Valve also started refunding people who played the studio’s game for more than two hours during the scandal. But of the countries affected, Egypt and the Philippines are mainly the biggest problem: countries with large populations, so many people could be playing the live service title released by Sony.

But it’s not just Helldivers 2 that has this less accessible status. Also on Twitter, an email from game retailer Green Man Gaming has surfaced stating that Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut also requires a PlayStation Network account (although it was previously reported that the single-player portion did NOT!), so sales of the PC port, due out on May 16, have also been restricted. This is ridiculous…

BREAKING🚨

Ghosts of Tsushima is no longer available in countries without PSN and is being removed from stores in those regions, even if you just want to play singleplayer. pic.twitter.com/YagEJ2ggij

— Pirat Nation (@Pirat_Nation) May 9, 2024

Source: PCGamer