Helldivers 2 removed from Steam across much of the world, refunds given

Boing Boing— The Starship Troopers-inspired game Helldivers 2 has been a big hit for Sony, but earlier this week it forced players to log in through the PlayStation network—even if they're playing on computer and don't have a game console. This requirement was a PR distaster from the outset, but has now gotten worse: the requirement make it impossible for players to play the game in countries that the PlayStation network excludes, and now top PC game platform Steam is shutting down sales of the game to the...

Stevivor—Helldivers 2 PC players issued refunds on Steam over PSN linking. Valve is issuing Steam refunds to Helldivers 2 players on PC over a new requirement that enforces mandatory linking to a PlayStation Network account.

PCMag—Helldivers 2 Gets Pulled From Steam in 170 Countries. Helldivers 2 has been pulled from Steam in 170 countries that don’t offer access to the PlayStation Network.On Friday, Sony announced that everyone playing the game on PC would need to link the game to an active PlayStation Network account or they'd lose access to the game. While linking the PC version of the game to PSN has been an option since the game’s launch, it was not a requirement until now, GamesRadar reports. The linking is necessary to help developer Arrowhead Game Studio and Sony...

Neowin—Helldivers 2 is still banned on Steam in over 170 countries and it may not change soon. It's been a week since Sony decided not to require Helldivers 2 players on Steam to sign up for a PlayStation Network account, but the game is still unavailable to play in over 170 countries.