Helldivers 2 Dev Gives Update on Review Bomb Cape

Summary

Arrowhead Game Studios created a "review bomb" cape to commemorate the PSN linking controversy in Helldivers 2.
The controversy stemmed from PC players review bombing the game on Steam due to issues with PSN linking requirements.
Arrowhead plans to release the cape once the timing is right, potentially tying it in with game updates or relisting in restricted regions.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios has finished designing the heavily-requested "review bomb" cape that commemorates the game's PSN account linking fiasco. Back in May, Arrowhead announced that linking a PlayStation Network account would be required for Helldivers 2 players on PC. The seemingly innocuous mandate didn't take long to cascade into an immense controversy.

The main contention against this new rule was PlayStation Network being unsupported in over 170 countries, locking out Helldivers 2 players in those regions from the game, even if they purchased it. To express their dissatisfaction, PC players review bombed Helldivers 2 en masse on Steam, dropping its gleaming "Very Positive" user score to "Mostly Negative." Sony even went so far as to delist Helldivers 2 from Steam in those 170 countries, but eventually relented against the pressure.

After PlayStation backpedaled on the mandate, Arrowhead CCO Johan Pilestedt jokingly expressed his intention to release an in-game cape commemorating the Helldivers 2 controversy after a fan pitched him the idea. However, it resonated with a sizable chunk of the community, and as it appears, Arrowhead has finally made the cape a reality. Pilestedt recently took to Twitter to share a teaser image of the cape, partially showing off its design with the infamous red lines. The cape itself is black in the teaser, but more colorways may be available once it's live for players in Helldivers 2.

Arrowhead Wants to Release the Review Bomb Cape at the "Right Time"

As for when Arrowhead plans to release it, Pilestedt stated in a separate tweet that the cape is "done on our end," and that the team is just looking for the "right time to release it." Players have since been speculating on why Arrowhead is waiting to add the cosmetic to the game, with theories ranging from the cape being a bonus for unlocking the elusive Anti-Tank Mines after a future Major Order, to being awarded to players after Helldivers 2 has been relisted in all the countries it's still unavailable in. Pilestedt confirmed in May that he was working on reinstating Helldivers 2 in the delisted regions, but the issue has yet to be fully resolved.

While Steam did lift Helldivers 2's purchase restrictions in some countries, players in most regions still can't buy the game even if they want to. Relisting the game in all of these regions would be the true end of the PSN account linking controversy, and a sensible potential reason for Arrowhead taking its time to make the cape available to players. It's difficult to predict when that may happen, but one can only hope the novelty doesn't wear off by then.

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