Helldivers 2 gets delisted in more countries without PSN access, blindsided devs call for it to be "available worldwide"

gamesradar.com:

Helldivers 2 is still being removed from sale on Steam in more countries, even after publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) scrapped its hugely controversial PSN mandate. 

SIE previously attempted to force Helldivers 2 PC players to link to an active PlayStation Network account months after launch, leading to a mass review-bombing campaign and Steam delistment in over 170 countries without PSN coverage. Sony eventually scrapped the mandate, keeping account linking as a simple option, but the year's biggest shooter is still being restricted in more countries. 

Helldivers 2 has now been pulled from Steam in three other countries lacking PSN coverage - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - according to listings on Steam Database. It's unclear if existing Helldivers 2 owners in those countries can still play the game.

Sony is still locking out divers from around the world. And Helldivers CEO's reply to 3 more countries being region-locked.#Helldivers2 pic.twitter.com/9xCOuFu27mMay 10, 2024

The news seems to have come as a surprise to even the game's own developers at Arrowhead Studios. "We have no idea what's going on," CEO Johan Pilestedt said in response to a player on the game's Discord channel. "Most devs are on a bank holiday and we just found out through the community. We want the game to be available worldwide."

Helldivers 2 has also not been returned to the 170 or so territories that were locked out of purchasing the game, which was a major reason why players banded together to negatively review the game in the first place. But Pilestedt assured players that he was working with PlayStation and Valve to get Helldivers 2 back on the storefront "everywhere."

After Helldivers 2 fixed the bug that helped players squish 2 billion Terminids in 24 hours, a new Major Order pits them against 2 billion bots instead.

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