Helldivers 2 was delisted from 177 countries and territories on May 5, and many speculated that it was Valve’s move to prevent players outside of PSN’s range from accidentally locking themselves out, but a Steam Support response has seemingly confirmed that it was, in fact, Sony who made the call.
This came in as a response to one player’s refund request, where they asked to have their money back after Sony introduced mandatory PSN sign-ups for new and returning Helldivers 2 players. “This game is not available in Steam right now for specific regions, as decided by the publisher,” the support rep wrote, suggesting that it was Sony, not Valve, who region-locked Helldivers 2 to PSN-supporting countries. They also said that they do not have more information to share on the matter, nor do they know when the game might be reinstated within said regions.
Aside from Helldivers 2, Sony’s upcoming Ghost of Tsushima PC port has also been delisted in 177 countries and territories that don’t support the PlayStation Network. Though there is no official confirmation regarding the delisting of that game, as with Helldivers 2, it seems likely that Valve also followed the request of the publisher in this case as well.
Helldivers 2 suffered a massive review-bombing campaign following Sony’s announcement of mandatory PlayStation Network account-linking. The game briefly became the worst-reviewed game on Steam, “surpassing” even Overwatch 2, though it has recovered significantly after the Japanese publisher walked back on its announcement. However, even with Sony’s decision to give up on PSN account linking, Helldivers 2 remains unavailable for purchase in 177 countries and territories, including several European Union member states and overseas territories of the United States, among others.
