The censored one is probably Niger
What’s this controversy?
Helldivers 2 suddenly won’t let you play the game if you don’t connect your Playstation account
For Playstation users? Or like, if you are on PC/Steam you need to make a Playstation account?
On steam
Oh… Wow… That’s bullshit.
So where is 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍?
Someone didn’t realize Niger isn’t an offensive word.
No, racists can’t spell so steam has to censor both of them. :-/
Or they were using Niger as a way to say the other word.
🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 is everywhere <3
Between Nepal and Nigeria, it seems.
Andorra
Someone must stop this cruel oppression against the ethnic group of influencers.
Can we get a similar map of Helldivers 2 players, based on location, prior to the change?
I want to live in ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️.
Looks like they censored the country Niger in their own post.
The hearts are how steam censors things it believes to be swears
Steam censored it for them. Nobody would go and use hearts if they were to self censor. They’d use ****ing asterisks.
Why would steam be more likely to use hearts? If anything id say the exact opposite.
Because that’s just how their censor works. It’s a well known fact for anyone used to steam.
You’re G****mn right.
You’re G** damn right.
FTFY
Fucking h*ck.
Did you just say the fuck word?
I’m telling Mom you both said fuck.
at least he censored the H word
Niger is a known intentional misspelling of the n-word used to circumvent censorship. So this is an evolution of the Scunthorp problem.
You might not. It’s very hot desert weather all year around.
There was also an anti-French Wagner/Russian backed military coup d’etat. The US had to closed down a drone base that kept eyes on terrorism suspects there. Even if it was perfect weather, probably not a great place to be right now.
I live in Australia. I take this as a challenge.
love country
luv me wife, simple as
What’s the controversy? That is basically amounts to dropping support in those countries?
people now have to create a PSN account in order to play. The people in these countries cannot create an account, so they are locked out of a game they purchased.
Oh, that’s terrible. No refunds for them?
You can request a steam refund even if you’re over 2 hours of playtime, it just isn’t automatic
They aren’t locked out yet, the PSN requirement is in 1 month, and the Arrowhead CEO said they are discussing solutions to this problem specifically. I highly doubt they leave these players high and dry
lol. lmao.
We’re talking about Sony. They’ve made Madame Web possible so any disaster is possible…
It made webillion dollars though
Was the game even confirmed to be for sale in any of those countries, or did people in those countries spoof their locations to buy it in the first place, ignoring the listed requirement of a PSN account requirement?
You only needed a steam account to purchase and play. The PSN requirement is new and not even live yet.
It’s a bait-and-switch. There was no PSN requirement at first and they didn’t restrict purchases by country.
There was no bait and switch. Psn was always listed as required. This isn’t like sticking Denovo on a game right after the reviewers all get their reviews out.
No, it was not always required to play the game. I’ve seen plenty of “account required” shit to play games in my time, but those are generally required to engage in online multiplayer, or competitive modes, and that was the assumption that I had when I played the game in the first week and bypassed the PSN account message. There was no warning that it would be switched to require PSN later. There was no notice that a PSN account would be required to make in-game purchases. There was no notice that PSN would be required just to load up the game, let alone play it single-player offline. I think I made a fair and reasonable assumption that I was playing the game to the fullest extent that I could without a PSN account. If I had received notice that a PSN account was required to play the game at all, then I would have not put ~150 hrs into it.
Let’s go ahead and address some other bullshit arguments while I’m here, I’ve been dying for this to pop up on lemmy so I can comment…
- Stop going wah it only take 120 seconds to setup ur account…
Let’s face it, the people wronged here have put tens, if not over 100 hrs into playing a game, if you think the time required to setup the account is in any way, shape, or form, the arguement here, then you are a fucking moron.
- Other games require to you have a PSN, Xbox, Ubisoft, bullshit corpo account…
Sure, but I don’t play most of those games, or they offer offline or limited play without the account, or the game was free, or the account or was required to play the game from the beginning, enforced, and made obvious that was the stance on the issue. HD2 got so big because it was fun, and it was fun because it was free from bullshit (or at least reduced a significant amount by modern gaming standards). The game’s success was built partly, if not majorly by not enforcing the PSN account for PC, backtracking on that now feels like a slap in the face and a kick in the nuts to players.
- Other companies get hacked with your data, just give your data to Sony, it’s probably leaked already.
How do you think we got in this mess in the first place? By giving up our data to corporations who do not treat it properly.
Finally, the game has worked fine for months without a PSN account. You can join matches, make friends, block dickheads and report greifers and hackers. Adding the PSN account only does 2 things for PC players; let’s Sony sell your personal life, and massively increases the chance that you’ll need to repurchase the game because of unnecessary “account issues”.
Wasn’t Valve the one who pointed out that Russia was always pirating games not because they were inherently pirates but because the game releases had zero support for Russia lol. Hence why Valve was the first foreign developer/publisher that gained an actual foothold in the Russian market.
This is kind of like the same thing. Sony will just say something dumb like “we don’t allow PSN accounts in these countries because they’re full of pirates”.
The second problem is absence of regional prices in other markets but Steam.
They are selling games two (!!) or so times cheaper in RU region. For example, AAA game might cost 60 dollars or 6000 rub in US but it will costs 35 or 3500 rub in russian steam.
Even though I couldn’t afford games in the past and pirated them - at some point I started buying stuff just because it gives much better, hustle -free experience.
If I’m low on cash, I pirate. When I have cash, I buy up the games I want. If it’s a game I enjoyed years ago and it’s on sale, I grab it.
The idea that piracy results in lost sales is flawed. No one I know who pirates can purchase the game to begin with.
Is a library piracy? No? Cool, discussion over.
I mean… Saying that it doesn’t result in lost sales at all is disingenuous.
They aren’t losing 70 dollars for every download, but they also aren’t losing zero.
They’re about to be full of pirates.
100% true. India is (or was?) also big for games just not being sold there.
Game companies shooting themselves in the foot? Never heard of it.
That rings true for me. Only stopped pirating once steam was an option, myself.
Only playable in countries with DEMOCRACY!!! HELL YEAH!!!
Like undemocratic Republic of Estonia.
Edit: oh Latvia and Lithuanian is also on the list, has Sony taken the country list before collapse of USSR.
The baltic states are a no fun zone.
Ah yes, the very democratic Russian Federation
“We held elections. You don’t like? Window is over there.”
why is one of them censored
Because, i don’t know if you heard, but it’s Niger and people are too fucking retarded.
Niger is close to a slur and is probably overwhelmingly used as a way to bypass filters as opposed to actually taking about the African country
That makes a lot of sense, that’s exactly where it would be in the alphabetical list too.
what a funny way to racism other people. “you’re just like a random country from that one place in the world”
Tbf, the racists wouldn’t see a shred of irony in that statement.
I assume it’s this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger.
I’m not a big gamer so I’m not entirely getting this. It sounds like the issue is they want you to link your steam and PSN accounts, which people don’t want to do. And in some countries it’s even a TOS violation.
My question is, why would they have such a requirement to link the two accounts in the first place?
The publishet is Sony. This way Sony can harvest your data and has total control over bans. If they didnt force the links bans for pc players would go through steam and could be challenged over steam in the case of an unfair ban.
The only data they can get is what you already share in game. And a little portion of what is on Steam.
You obviously have to give them whatever data is required for a PSN account. You could give them fake personal data of course, but good luck remembering your fake info if you ever need to reset your password.
That isn’t how bans work at all. The only bans which go through steam are VAC bans, and those are not a requirement.
You’re mistaken. If they make you log into PSN to play the game, then being banned via PSN would also lock you out of the game.
It’s a Sony online game and it shouldn’t have worked without an account in first place on PC. But they allowed it regardless due to server issues.
For me, it was the 2011 Playstation Hack.
Credit card data was encrypted, but Sony admitted that other user information was not encrypted at the time of the intrusion.
After that, I swore I would never give a corporation that lax with personal information my own.
One RUMOR I’ve heard is so it looks like more people are registering with PSN, to make up for loss of PS sales? Doesn’t make the most sense, but I’m sure its a mixture of that and your data $$$
That would be pretty obvious fraud, I doubt that.
Which part? I’m sure it would be fraud to pad their numbers that way. Unless they used a seperate metric which looked favorable to shareholders since number of accounts goes up.
The data part I don’t think you meant to cast doubt on, thats a given.
I meant padding their numbers like that yes.
The legitimate reason is for crossplay. Sony said in the announcement it was for player “protection”, so they could ban people. Plus there is no doubt some data tracking going on.
But cross-platform worked just fine before this requirement? Or atleast well enough, I’ve been playing with a PS4 friend for the last month.
Did it? I stand corrected, then.
Serbia is not on the list?! Impossible!
Maybe someday they’ll invent VPNs in those places.
Since definitely nobody has ever played a PlayStation in those countries. Never ever.
/Sarcasm.
(The absolute GLEE coming out of people who aren’t even remotely affected by the PSN requirement really says a lot about how ragebait has broken people’s brains)
Its not simply because it’s something “Easy”. Its because people are sick and tired of not owning what we buy. I’m not sure why you would want to defend someone who would happily take everything they could away from you, and actively do via your rights and digital privacy.
“Oh No. The game publisher did the thing that was always a listed requirement for the game”
Sony specifically says on their own site that it’s not required.
It specifically says on the steam purchase page it is required. It specifically says on Sony’s website that ps plus is required for ps5, and if you click on pc it just provides a link to steam. Nowhere do I see it even mentions needing or not needing a psn account on sony’s website.
Directly from Sony. It may be required for certain modes or features. Not for the entire game to function. Even the EULA that you agree to for the game says nothing about requiring a PSN account.
I still don’t know why you’re so determined to back Sony on their bullshit that is anti-consumer, and is actively harming the gaming community.
Lol. So it doesn’t say you don’t need a psn account.
They paid to publish the game, bro. They said you have to have a psn ID from the get go. Anyone getting pissed about it is just what? Mad at themselves for ignoring the big bronze colored warning on the store page? It wasn’t hidden.
Is the entire game a mode or feature? If it’s not then you can fuck off with that argument that it doesn’t say you don’t need it. If you’re a Sony PR person you’re bad at it. And if you’re not, then you have a weird obsession with siding with shitty corporate behavior.
Now if only I could see this on a map
Overlay it on that Steam active user map, so we can count all 8 people who’ll need to fire up that VPN they use for literally everything they already do online.
How can you see them on that map if they are using VPNs?
as someone who is in a country where services are regularly blocked and you need to use a VPN,
fuck off.
Hey, congrats! Sounds like you’ve already figured out the solution to this “problem”.
I notice that you specifically worded your comment to not address whether PSN is blocked where you are.
I’ll assume it definitely is blocked where you are, and you’re not just another PCMR-bro who thinks signing up for a PSN account will make people think they’re a “console gamer”.
lmao shut up child, what’s wrong with you
Truly a master of empathy. I’m astounded by your compassion for people who have different problems than you and who fall into minority groups.
Why do Gamers raging about stuff that doesn’t even affect them deserve my empathy.
And if we’re going to try and turn this into racism, let’s ignore the PCMR gang (who rally behind a literal Aryan “master race” meme) trying to act offended about Subsaharan Africa losing access to a videogame. Layers of irony. When in reality they’re mad about having to sign up for a “console account”.
Why do people expressing frustration deserve your explicit lack of empathy? Why do you care so much? Why is “aha! Gotcha! You’re from Iran, so you’re neglected luxuries in other situations but not this one so your opinion doesn’t matter” sound like a reasonable response to you?
You sound like a bitter spiteful individual who’s more interested in finding a reason to be contrarian and angry with people than compassionate. Coincidentally with frustrations over corporations.
Go take a break from the internet if “why does a human deserve my empathy?” Seems like something that is ever reasonable to say or think. Empathy doesn’t mean you have to agree with someone, to preempt that lame excuse.
Cool cool cool… Going all-in on a dumbass-YouTube-influencer-led campaign to ruin a game dev over a manufactured outrage because PC Game-Bros don’t want to log into a “console” account. Super cool.
Look at how most people actually respond to the hits the dev has taken from this…
Pride. Glee. Excitement. “Yay I’m part of something!” “Look at RxBrad he’s not agreeing with our mob, get him!”
This isn’t empathy or justice or doing the right thing. Dipshits on the Internet adore outrage, and literally get off on watching something burn.
“They shouldn’t have allowed people where there’s no PSN to buy the game”
“omg! They did what we demanded and delisted the game where there’s no PSN! People in those regions can even get refunds no matter how much they played. That’s racist!”
Go outside, people.
You’re a clown and embarrassing yourself.
Rage on, sister.
You geniuses are all continuing to downvote a deleted post.
Nice to see you’re all focusing on content and not just “downvote everything out of the guy not on the rage train”.
since you didn’t fuck off let me explain.
i don’t play nor care about helldivers 2 but i can certainly emphasize with people that have had their favorite game linking to a service that is blocked/not supported. you either use a free VPN which good luck with shitty connectivity, high packet loss and ping, or use a paid VPN which basically converts all your games into a subscription that is most certainly not affordable for many 3rd world users, and at the end you are still probably dealing with the issues mentioned before since you are adding extra hops in your route. and that’s if you can get your hands on a working VPN which since most companies have their IP addresses known you get forced into shady VPNs automatically.
plus you are massively risking your data since you can’t trust the person at the other end, especially with free VPNs that could be loaded with viruses and spyware. in addition in most cases using a VPN can and will trigger false bot flags, causing either a temporary block or worse a ban, not to mention lying about your region when creating an account is in most cases is against TOS (although it’s unlikely you get banned for it).
for example i wanted to play titanfall 2 when it came out but couldn’t due to it being linked to EA account system which is definitely blocked here. never bothered with the official Ultima Online because EA. wanna play the free copy of GTA V? can’t download shit off Epic Games. wanna play any games made by Riot? you better get that DNS service ready cause otherwise you can’t get in. wanna update warframe? too bad the CDN service they use blocks your region (this was a long time ago i remember being pissed off about it).
so stop being an asshole online. we deserve to play games like other people without resorting to hacks in order to have a worse experience that was forced upon us. even ignoring all of my rant this decision is still against privacy of most users by handing their data over to yet another big company. i cannot imagine what would compel someone to make an ass out of themselves to call people that are against this cry babies.
Paid VPNs are dirt cheap worldwide. You’re all absolutely being crybabies. If you can already afford a PC capable of playing HD2, you can afford a few bucks a year for a reputable VPN.
But hey, it’s okay. In a couple days, the TikTok/YouTube influencers will find the next shiny piece of inconsequential PC gamer ragebait, and you’ll all move onto that.
Paid VPNs are dirt cheap worldwide… If you can already afford a PC capable of playing HD2, you can afford a few bucks a year for a reputable VPN.
You have actual clueless first-worlder logic
If 60 to 160 USD per year is “dirt cheap” to you, you have absolutely no place to speak. Hundreds of dollars over the course of 5 years just to circumvent stupid geolocation restrictions and nothing else – about the same cost to twice the cost of a low-to-mid range gaming PC BTW – is not affordable to most people. How do you compare basically throwing away hundreds of USD yearly opposed to a one-time purchase of an important utility in the modern age? How do you view that as cheap for people in countries where that could be a large chunk or most of their salary? Are people not allowed to buy expensive things for themselves rarely and actually enjoy them without having an unnecessary subscription expense tacked on just because they were born in a poorer county?
How would you feel if I told you there were a “fuck you” fee of 10% of the cost of your house every year just because you’re American or Canadian or British or some shit, on top of your income & property taxes? I mean you’re a homeowner so you can obviously afford it.
Did you know that using VPN is against Steam’s terms of service?
60 to 160 USD per year
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that people who gobble up every bit of ragebait their favorite “influencers” dish out would also use the sponsored overpriced VPN of choice. It’s not that hard to find legit VPNs for around $25/yr. It’s not just NordVPN out there.
And the “fuck you” fee for Americans/Canadians/Brits? It’s called regional pricing. Note how places like Russia / Ukraine / South Asia can get $60 games for the equivalent of twenty bucks.
https://steamdb.info/app/1086940/
(Also, if $25 is truly 10% the value of their house and they’re spending that much on videogames, there are plenty other issues to be worrying about).
well nice job ignoring literally everything else i said but alright. my rule of thumb for comparing my purchasing power vs an american is to multiply the product’s value by 15. so you tell me that you wouldn’t feel annoyed if you had to pay 375$/year (ignoring the increased data cap costs that comes with using a VPN of course) for a service that might get blocked at any moment? never mind the scammers that are absolutely littered everywhere.
and the regions that are not supported by PSN probably don’t have regional pricing in steam as well, so we also have to pay that fuck you fee if we want to buy our games legit, unless of course you are willing to risk a ban (which actually isn’t that unlikely) in order to region hop, or get a CD key that was most likely bought with stolen gift card money of scam victims. and steam recently has been cracking down on both region hopping and the price disparity seen between different regions.
yes it’s not the most earth shattering issue on the planet, but at least we get to complain about it online right?
Really great answer. Kudos for taking the time and energy to write it !
“Yup I see a significant overlap, but I’d rather discount them than admit I’m wrong.”
Sri Lanka and Suriname are pictured though?
Good catch! Just a typo on my part. I used mapchart.com to make the map, and it was unfortunately an entirely manual process and the map builder I used didn’t include most microstates; the rest of the ones I listed weren’t on the map. Sri Lanka and Suriname are pictured though. :)
My brothers and sisters in San Marino will have to make that long trek to Italy, sad.
lmao Niger is blocked out
internet censorship is fucking retarded
Yeah, ♡♡♡♡♡ian princes will be mad disappointed.
BTW, cool meta-use of removed internet censorship to illustrate your point.
BTW, cool meta-use of removed internet censorship to illustrate your point.
They wrote out the r-slur. I assume your instance filtered it.
Oh, I thought they wrote the
*removed*text verbatim… My bad.
I’m surprised Nigeria survived the censor
