Helldivers 2 players knew how to mobilize against Sony after training in-game
Helldivers 2 players have spent their time in the galaxy since launch learning how to work together for a common cause. When the Automatons mysteriously returned to menace the galaxy, tacticians would take to X and Discord to encourage fans to hit the right planets. Super Earth asked Helldivers to kill two billion bugs, and the player base pulled it off within hours. But the biggest coordinated effort that players have pulled off is not against the bugs or bots, but against the game’s publisher, Sony — and after a weekend of protest, the Helldivers scored a massive triumph.
On Friday, Sony announced that Helldivers 2 players would need to link their in-game accounts to their Sony accounts, requiring a log-in to an additional platform. It was a tremendously unpopular change, and Steam players were vocal about their displeasure. While some players were simply annoyed at an extra step of red tape, or fearful of storing their information on Sony’s servers after previous data leaks, others were locked out entirely. The PlayStation Network is not accessible in 177 countries and territories, and so players from regions like the Philippines completely lost access to a game they had already paid for.
Helldivers 2 players immediately moved into action, coordinating on platforms like Reddit, X, and Discord to make their displeasure clear. Helldivers 2 was hit with hundreds of thousands of negative Steam reviews, turning its very positive ranking upside down. Players made memes and propaganda posters, rallying under the slogan “We dive together, or we don’t dive.” Community members found that Steam would issue refunds, even for accounts that had gone well beyond the two hours, and encouraged fellow fans to refund en masse. Not even the first Helldivers was off limits, as the circa 2015 title was likewise ruthlessly review-bombed.
The infrastructure for this sort of effort had already been established through Helldivers 2’s Major Orders, which typically last around a week, and
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