Helldivers 2 Community to Vote on New Premium Warbond Release Amid PSN Controversy Fallout

The developers of Helldivers 2 are expressing reservations about issuing a new premium Warbond shortly after the recent turmoil with PSN, opting instead to have the community vote on the matter following principles of democracy.

The choice to launch a new elite Warbond for Helldivers 2 this Thursday rests with the community of players. This is occurring as the developers of the game deliberate, considering whether it might seem tactless to go ahead with the launch given the recent issues with PSN connectivity.

If you're out of the loop, the most significant backlash for Helldivers 2 to date erupted when Sony required PC players to link their PSN accounts, resulting in a flood of negative Steam reviews. Though the mandate has been withdrawn, the event has undoubtedly left its mark, especially considering the incident where a manager for Helldivers 2 was let go for seemingly advocating for the negative reviews post-mandate.

Amid these turbulent times, Johan Pilestedt, the CEO of Arrowhead and creative director for Helldivers 2, has initiated a Twitter poll to determine if the community is ready for the launch of a new paid Warbond or if a pause is in order to allow tempers to settle.

"Given the backlash against account linking, we questioned if releasing a new (paid) warbond at this time would seem insensitive," shared Pilestedt. "Thus, we've decided to let the community's vote guide us in a truly democratic manner."

Currently, the majority of the community is in favor of releasing a new Warbond tomorrow, with 74% voting 'yes' and only 26% voting 'no'. It's important to highlight that the poll not only queries the community's desire for additional content but specifically for content that requires payment. Nevertheless, with nine hours remaining until the poll concludes, a definitive 'yes' is the predominant sentiment.

The Helldivers 2 community has also been navigating mixed messages regarding the Eruptor nerf, with conflicting statements from the development team about whether the adjustments were intentional and the continued viability of the weapon.