Helldivers 2 was a great game at launch. The chaotic setting of the planets and explosions everywhere made it an instant classic. But all great things come to an end, even if it is for a few days. Helldivers 2 acts as an example of how corporate greed affects gaming.
Key Takeaways
Helldivers 2’s situation lasted for a few days but many other games in the market still are preys of bad corporate decisions.
The Helldivers 2 Situation
On May 3rd Sony announced that all players must link their accounts to PSN to be able to play the game. On the surface, this doesn’t look like much of a problem but the main concern was that the PSN accounts access was limited for various countries in the world. Many players were not able to play the game.
Players were forced to use the online Sony services and they were not happy with this decision. The Steam page was review-bombed with mostly negative reviews and there was a lot of backlash from players. Because of the reaction from players Sony had no choice but to revoke their decision and make the game playable for everyone.
They removed the requirement of linking PSN accounts and players felt like they had won and they called it a campaign against big corporations and their bad decisions. For this time, it felt quite powerful that the players’ feedback was heard and acted upon, but the same cannot be said for most games.
Genuine Mistakes Or Greed?
Many games are affected by rushed corporate decisions and are based on more profit and raking in more money. Many beloved games are now hated because of how badly their companies handled their monetization and content.
A prime example is Overwatch 2. It even hurts me to mention it but Overwatch 2 was nowhere near close to the 2016 Game Of The Year. Overwatch 2 was hyped up for the sole reason of adding PvE content and major co-op missions.
But in the end, it all felt like a scam. The game started robbing players with expensive cosmetic items, new characters were only unlockable through battle passes, and the PvE content and Coop missions were canceled.
Many great games were ruined because of such acts of corporate greed. Call Of Duty MW 3 (2023) was supposed to be a DLC for COD MW 2 (2022), but it was turned upside down with a separate release with the same visuals and put a whole game price on it. Corporations no longer concern themselves with the player experience as all decisions are based on profit.
We have seen what developers can do when they have complete freedom to develop the game they envision. Games like Lethal Company and Phasmophobia came from developer groups who had total freedom over how they wanted to develop their games. They didn’t have a high budget, but still, those titles are better than most AAA games in terms of player experience.
The Future
Corporation greed is ruining the games, and because of that, the future of gaming is looking pretty grim. The best we all can do is contribute in some way. Even if it feels like a whisper in a crowd, it will be enough to make the voice heard clearly by the real communities of developers who truly value the experience.
Good job! Please give your positive feedback 😏
How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 💡
Meet Ayesha, a business student and a Game Guides writer whose passion for gaming knows no bounds. With a keen interest in simulation and RPG genres like Disney Dreamlight Valley, Starfield, and Final Fantasy Series, she’s been sharing her expertise at VeryAli Gaming for a year now, enhancing the gaming experience for players worldwide. Check out what Ayesha likes to play on her Steam.
