Pirate Software aspires to start his own publishing company after Helldivers 2 downfall

Pirate Software, the game developer, has expressed his thoughts on establishing his own publishing company following the Helldivers 2 controversy.

The Twitter/X statement from Pirate Software on May 5 was a reaction to the recent decline of Helldivers 2, which brought attention to the unforgiving truth of partnering with major publishers.

The last few days of watching Sony gut Helldivers 2 is a grim reminder of the pitfalls of working with a publisher. Make sure you know what you’re getting into before signing your game away.There are good publishers out there and we’ve seen them kick a lot of ass for indies.…

— Pirate Software (@PirateSoftware) May 5, 2024

Pirate Software cautioned, via a tweet (https://x.com/PirateSoftware/status/1787173967373242770), that the recent actions of Sony in dismantling Helldivers 2 serve as a somber warning about the potential risks of partnering with a publisher. Before handing over your game, it is crucial to fully understand the implications of such a decision.

Helldivers 2 has recently announced that they will continue to enforce their policy of requiring players to connect through a PlayStation Network account, which was initially implemented when the game was first released on February 8.

The PC community was angered by the concept of having to connect through a different platform, especially considering that PSN is unavailable in numerous countries.

Those without a PSN account were informed that they would face a ban from the game and lose access to playing. The partnership between the developers and PlayStation sparked outrage among numerous community members as it resulted in a significant portion of the player base being excluded.

In just a matter of days, dissatisfied users bombarded the previously adored game on Steam with negative reviews, resulting in an overall rating of “Overwhelmingly Negative.”The backlash was so severe that Steam was compelled to offer refunds for Helldivers 2, even if players had already played for more than two hours.

After witnessing the events surrounding Helldivers 2, Pirate Software has expressed his ambition to launch his own game publishing company.

“For a while now, my goal has been to establish a publishing house for independent creators or collaborate with one that shares my vision. Encounters like this only reinforce my desire to prioritize this goal.”

While it is uncertain if Pirate Software will indeed establish a publishing company, they have received encouragement from fellow game designer Mutahar for their endeavor.