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Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

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Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#111

Post by SXX »

zamalek wrote: post #24
terramex wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Requirement was always there, just not enforced due to „technical issues”. https://web.archive.org/web/20231207163847/https://store.ste... > „Requires 3rd-Party Account: PlayStation Network” However, making it purchasable from countries not supported by PSN accounts was big error on their part.

Unenforced rules are a murky area. It's not as clear-cut as you suggest. Another issue that has been raised is that Sony is notoriously incompetent with customer data.

Sony is one of the most customer-hostile companies in existence. Betting on them not banning you one day for breaking ToS is not an option.

Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#112

Post by SXX »

resource_waste wrote: post #92
bravetraveler wrote: post #20

When I saw marketing material that looked like a carbon copy of Destiny I knew what to expect The game that plays you, too

Modern video games are scary like that. They arent designed for your fun necessarily, but rather addictive mechanism that keep you coming back. Obviously dopamine from slot machine mechanisms and winning. Oxytocin from online gaming... These companies know how to make addiction.

Let's be honest Helldivers 2 is a really good PvE game with AFAIK only cosmetics via microtransactions. It's not some addictive MMORPG to earn money from whales.

Whole issue here is not about game at all, but about Sony being player hostile company and just plain breaking some customer protection laws.

Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#113

Post by SXX »

Laaas wrote: post #26
flohofwoe wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A multiplayer game that's very successful on Steam - but published by Sony - suddenly has a requirement to have both a Steam and PSN account in order to log into the game - a couple of months after the game was released. As a PC gamer I would be pissed too tbh (on the other hand, it's the same bullshit that Ubisoft pulls for their games released on Steam).

The somewhat bigger issue is that PSN doesn’t support all countries that Steam does apparently. In the end I suspect affected players will get a refund. It isn’t as big a deal as the gamers are making it seem.

This is a big deal because PSN not even available in all EU countries. E.g there is no PSN in: Andorra, Estonia, Latvia. In Ukraine for example you can only register PSN account if you own PlayStation.

Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#114

Post by boesboes »

CaptainOfCoit wrote: post #91
Caligatio wrote: post #2

As a Helldivers 2 PC player who also owns a PS5, this new requirement doesn't bother me personally. However, adding a requirement (it was previously optional) is boneheaded, maybe illegal. It must be terrible to be Arrowhead; they have to sit by and watch while their player base implodes because of a Sony edict.

> It must be terrible to be Arrowhead; they have to sit by and watch while their player base implodes because of a Sony edict. Or, you know, don't make agreements that will upset your player base? I'm sure they never were forced to do anything Sony says, except if they entered into a business agreement with Sony, which again, is their own choice, and the developer knew about these requirements from the beginning, but…

This. Everyone defending AH as if they are the victim here. Smh

Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#115

Post by npteljes »

resource_waste wrote: post #92
bravetraveler wrote: post #20

When I saw marketing material that looked like a carbon copy of Destiny I knew what to expect The game that plays you, too

Modern video games are scary like that. They arent designed for your fun necessarily, but rather addictive mechanism that keep you coming back. Obviously dopamine from slot machine mechanisms and winning. Oxytocin from online gaming... These companies know how to make addiction.

Definitely the case with Genshin for example. Poster child for me for this new kind of game: always online (even if single player), low barrier to entry, designed to be addictive.

Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#116

Post by Uvix »

pi_mai wrote: post #23
apt-get wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This Japanese stereotyping would be a little more credible if Sony Entertainment's headquarters hadn't moved to California years ago...

HQ location means nothing. It's still being controlled by Tokyo. If Anything, SE will be the sacrificial lamb that will be used to be sent to the slaughter house. They did this with the mobile division in Sweden. Blame, cut and relocate.

If it’s being controlled by Tokyo, why do they keep censoring Japanese games but not Western ones?

Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#117

Post by npteljes »

Der_Einzige wrote: post #99

I’m very happy to hear this. Too many good games have had their player bases gimped by the rise of stupid “one hit wonder” games like palworld or helldivers 2. The Finals is somehow struggling to maintain a decent player base despite being objectively one of the freshest and best game releases in a decade. I can’t get my friends to play it because they’re too busy memeing about space bugs on a mediocre shooter. Glad…

Helldivers 2 would be a one hit wonder, if not for the successful predecessor, Helldivers.

Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#118

Post by SXX »

jokoon wrote: post #51

I wonder if it breached the contract/TOS between the game company and valve. I guess lawyers at valve had to work extra to come up with a decision, because they're probably going to court over this.

Valve is well covered here. Like any other platform they only make payouts to publishers / developers after a big delay so they'll have plenty of Sony's money to cover refunds.

Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#119

Post by tietjens »

boesboes wrote: post #90

I find the support for Arrowhead surprising. They went into business with Sony and allowed this. The CEO tweeting "We just want to make gaaameeees" is such a weak ass excuse. Take some responsibility for your choices.

The economics of games are complex. I don’t understand why Arrowhead should take the blame here.

Re: Helldivers 2 Removed from Purchase on Steam in over 150 Countries

#120

Post by SXX »

sigmoid10 wrote: post #69
out_of_protocol wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not obvious at all, so far > look at steam charts, the player count did not take any obvious hit > the actual impact won't be fully visible until May 30th or June 4th since that's when they will start blocking access to the game for players who didn't link their accounts

Considering the 100k+ bad reviews already left in the past 3 days, it seems there is no impact beyond that.

There would be no impact if this game was some MMORPG or mostly singleplayer title.

Helldivers is PvE game-as-a-service and it's model works best when network effects are strong. Basically a lot of people are playing such games because their friends are playing it. And the most opinionated and active people are the ones who bring their friends into the game.

So even if relatively small percent of active playerbase will leave the game they'll likely to take some of their friends with them, etc.

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