Sony backtracks faced with anger of 'Helldivers 2' players / Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU - AFP/File
-
Authorities to identify Montauk Mary and five other Long Island cold-case victims
-
Davante Adams injury deepens Los Angeles Rams receiver shortage
-
Barbie sequel negotiations stall over reported $25 million pay packages
-
João Franco’s earlier post draws attention after arrest over fatal Turkey brawl
-
Bath & Body Works launches buy-one-get-one-free candle offer
-
Alberta Launches $5M Fund for Women’s Neurology Research to Address Gender Gaps
-
Itlu Arjuna receives U/A certificate ahead of theatrical release
-
Dhananjaya de Silva guides Sri Lanka to 221-4 against Pakistan
-
Niraj Kumar earns Los Angeles Olympic quota with 50m rifle bronze
-
Delhi gold loses Rs 800 while silver falls Rs 5,000
-
India extends micro-credit guarantee plan for five years
-
Madlanga Commission Deadline Extended to 2027 Amid Calls for Structural Justice Reform
-
Pradeep Antony, Smeha Manimegalai portray secret spouses in Mr & Mrs Office
-
Zelenskyy arrives in Dublin for meetings on Ukraine and peace efforts
-
Woman barred from every Greggs outlet after series of offences
-
Jury hears social-media image helped identify teen in Scarlett Faulkner case
-
Ketchup packets link suspect to break-in at Eddie Rocket’s restaurant
-
American Airlines passenger falls ill and vomits on three travellers
-
US Inflation Broadens as Fed Officials Consider Faster Rate Hikes
-
Spain's General Strike Links Housing Crisis to Lost Purchasing Power
-
Euro-Area Inflation Reaches 4% as Energy Prices Jump
-
China's Factory Inflation Accelerates While Consumer Demand Stays Weak
-
US Adds 165,000 Jobs as Unemployment Falls to 4.1%
-
Bank of England Raises Interest Rate to 4% as Energy Risks Intensify
-
Energy Costs Push OECD Inflation Up to 4.5%
-
OPEC Says Oil Output Is Near Prewar Levels Despite Shipping Disruptions
-
China's Trade Surplus Passes $1 Trillion as Technology Exports Surge
-
China's Singles' Day Exposes Persistent Consumer Caution
-
Irish police prepare for further hoax bomb threats after hundreds of schools targeted
-
RBA Inflation Target Origins: Why Australia Chose a Range Over Zero
-
Korea, Singapore and New Zealand Advance Green Trade Pact Talks
-
Ireland and Ukraine consider drone cooperation memorandum after Dublin talks
-
Sister recounts fatal machete attack as Irish murder trial continues
-
Georgia refrigeration company sues EPA after five-year HFC reprieve
-
HoloCoder technology promises brighter smartphone images and 3D depth data
-
EU proposes broad consumer safeguards for apps, subscriptions and ticketing
-
Early Black Friday Walking Pad Deals: Urevo and WalkingPad Discounts
-
Nvidia faces scrutiny over alleged Chinese intelligence link to Jensen Huang
-
Radical Numerics develops offline AI tool to detect engineered pathogens
-
Chennai orders inquiry after dogs die at shelter; two veterinarians face action
-
Kiara Advani Reveals Sidharth Malhotra’s Reaction to Toxic Backlash
-
Startup turns Chennai’s history and culture into an interactive world
-
Four firms compete to design Chennai’s model mobility corridors
-
PodcastOne (NASDAQ:PODC) Reports Record 1H & Q2 Fiscal 2027 Financial Results; 1H Fiscal 2027 Revenue of $31.5M and Adjusted EBITDA* of $2.9M
-
Tires Easy Introduces Monthly Tire Price Index to Track U.S. Replacement Tire Prices
-
Ondas Posts Record Q3 2026 Revenue of $167.5 Million on Strong Bookings and Backlog Growth; Raises Full-Year Outlook
-
Medical Care Technologies Inc. (OTCID:MDCE) Delivers 270% Net Income Surge in Q3 as Profitability Accelerates
-
Ainos Secures Largest Order in Company History: $9 Million ASE Agreement for 5,000 Additional AI Nose Systems
-
NextTrip Advances Cruise Strategy, Connecting JOURNY TV Programming and Digital Booking Tools with Personalized Travel Advisor Support
-
SMX Targets Global Recycling Challenges With AI-Powered Material Intelligence Platform
NYSE - LSE
Sony backtracks faced with anger of 'Helldivers 2' players
Sony backtracked Monday after players of its popular cooperative third-person shooter game "Helldivers 2" pushed back against a requirement to link with its PlayStation Network platform.
"Helldivers fans -- we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking update," Sony said on its X, formerly Twitter, account for its PlayStation game console.
The Japanese firm provoked anger after announcing last Friday it would require PC players of "Helldivers 2" to link their Steam account with the PlayStation Network.
Steam is a popular platform for playing video games on PCs, tablets and phones, while PlayStation Network is a similar platform for PlayStation users.
Sony said the planned May 6 update, requiring new users to link their accounts, had been scrapped, along with one planned for the end of the month, which would have obliged existing users to do so.
Linking accounts allows PC and PlayStation players to play together, but PC players saw being forced to do so as a move by Sony to artificially boost the numbers of its online players.
Furthermore, players in 177 countries where it was not possible to open a PlayStation Network account saw their access cut over the weekend, according to the SteamDB database.
"I've lost access to my main Helldivers 2 account because I live in the Philippines," said Zanny, a YouTuber with 2.3 million followers, on X.
Fans quickly made their displeasure known, posting 200,000 bad reviews of the game on Steam within three days, tanking its rating and pushing Sony to react.
"We’re still learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable," said Sony on the PlayStation X account.
"Helldivers 2", which came out in February on both PCs and PlayStations, allows players to play soldiers sent from planet to planet to battle hordes of insects and giant robots in an ambiance similar to the 1997 action film "Starship Troopers".
Developed by the Swedish studio Arrowhead and published by Sony, the game has proved to be extremely popular, with PC sales helping drive it to Sony's seventh highest grossing game ever, according to analyst Mat Piscatella at market tracking firm Circana.
Analyst Doug Creutz at TD Cowen estimated 8 million copies of the game had been sold by mid-March.
Arrowhead chief executive Johan Pilestedt said on X he was "impressed by the willpower" of Helldivers players.
He also thanked PlayStation "for quickly and effectively making the decision to leave PSN linking optional."
P.Stevenson--AMWN