Helldivers 2 Disappears from Steam in More Countries. Devs May Have Teased Return of Predator-Style Enemies
Talks about the return of Helldivers 2 in countries without PSN are still ongoing. In the meantime, Johan Pilestedt is teasing fans again.
More than a week has passed since the controversy broke out and Steam was flooded with negative reviews of Helldivers 2. Unfortunately, the game remains unavailable in over 170 countries. Johan Pilestedt and the rest of the Arrowhead Game Studios team didn't have good news. It turned out that HD2 was blocked on Steam in three additional regions.
The CEO of Arrowhead has no news
The countries in question are Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. According to the CEO of Arrowhead Studio, these aren't necessarily new additions, but rather the outcome of an "administrative error." All three countries were supposed to be included in the "original restrictions," and now this has been "enforced independently by Valve."
Pilestedt admitted that "it doesn't look good," but it doesn't indicate "further restrictions" or the current state of talks regarding the return of Helldivers 2 to Steam. These are still ongoing and the devs are determined to keep their word and restore access to Democracy in all countries. Unfortunately, the Swede couldn't say anything more on this subject.
On a side note: we have received final confirmation that the prolonged absence of HD2 in some countries is Sony's decision (via Reddit). It might appear obvious, but some gamers suggested that Valve's decision to block the sale of the game in countries without access to the PlayStation Network could have been a way to effectively safeguard purchasers (meaning: preventing the purchase of Helldivers 2 in countries where the fun wouldn't be possible even if the PSN requirement was implemented).
Is Enlightenment heading towards Helldivers 2?
Despite this unfortunate news, the devs and players of Helldivers 2 seem to be in a slightly better mood than a week ago. Enough to mention the memes flooding social media and a possible Pilestedt teaser that may herald the return of a long-awaited faction.
The head of Arrowhead Game Studios is once again actively engaging online after a long hiatus. His latest entries included one containing graphics that could confirm the debut of the cape with the motif of HD2 bombarding with negative reviews on Steam from a week ago (sic!).
However, what's more important, the Swede commented on the fan's statement about the possibility of organizing events related to other brands. However, instead of addressing this idea, Pilestedt hinted at a "predator-style" race that already exists in the Helldivers universe, has been exiled, and may be planning revenge (via X).
Of course, the players quickly flooded the Swede with questions. The CEO of Arrowhead studio denied that he "teased" anything. He also added that instead of the Illuminate, he prefers to refer to them as "the enlightened."
It's possible to question whether we could truly regard the Illuminate as similar to the famous Predators, even if certain units might give rise to such an association (more precisely: invisible hunters engaging in close combat). Another matter is that the previous leaks about this exiled race suggest that the old "acquaintances" of Super Earth have changed a lot over the last 100 years in the world of Helldivers.
The devs have previously indicated that they are open to collaborating with other brands for "crossovers," as long as they align with Arrowhead Studio's game philosophy. For now, we are still waiting for information about the location of Karl and potential cooperation with the developers of Deep Rock Galactic (as the temporary escape of helldivers to this second game cannot be considered as such; via Z League).
