Helldivers 2 launched in February 2024 to critical acclaim, winning a multitude of awards, including Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards. Aside from some server issues resulting from the sheer number of players attempting to access the game, Helldivers 2 launched without a hitch… until May 2024, when it was announced that, going forward, PC players accessing the game via Steam would be required to create a PlayStation Network account.
The backlash was swift and intense, with the game’s Steam user score dropping dramatically as PC users aired their frustrations. Two days after the announcement, Sony backtracked, announcing that it would not be moving forward with the mandated PSN account-linking. By May 11, Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilstedt was teasing a “review bomb cape” cosmetic on Twitter (formally X), and now — 417 days after the PSN controversy — the review bomb cape is finally here.
“In honor of their unquestioning commitment to the defense of Managed Democracy, the Helldivers have been awarded a commemorative cape,” developer Arrowhead Game Studios shared on social media. “The new uniform piece will be available in all Super Destroyer Armories as soon as the rollout is complete.”
The cape — which is named “Pillars of Freedom” — is available to all players (both on PlayStation and Windows PC). It features a design depicting the game’s Steam user review score graph in the wake of the controversy, with long red lines representing the thousands of negative reviews the game received in the wake of the initial announcement that PSN account-linking would be a requirement.
Arrowhead did note that it may take “some time for the item to arrive” in players’ inboxes.
Although the account-linking controversy upset both players and Arrowhead devs, players ultimately got their happy ending — and a free cape!