The virtual shelves of Steam have just become the latest battleground in Helldivers 2‘s fight against Terminid and Automaton scum. The only difference is that the other side isn’t fighting fair.
Fake listings of Helldivers 2 have infiltrated the industry-leading platform, casting yet another shadow over the success of Helldivers 2, a game that has captivated players with its sci-fi co-op shooter experience.
The fraudulent activity came to light as multiple suspicious listings, posing as Helldivers 2 and offering significant discounts, emerged, duping players into purchasing games that weren’t the much-acclaimed title they expected.
The indie game Figurality was one of the first to alter its storage page to mimic the hit PlayStation exclusive, even writing Helldivers 2, even listing Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony as its developer and publisher, respectively. This move was part of a deliberate scam to exploit the game’s popularity by offering a steep 75% discount. Players quickly realized the deception and alerted Arrowhead, which promptly issued a warning on the official Helldivers 2 Discord server. Valve, Steam’s parent company, responded swiftly by delisting the game within hours of being notified.
However, Figurality wasn’t alone in this deceptive practice; others followed suit, adding a sense of urgency to the situation. Steam’s refund policy provides relief to those who had purchased the falsely advertised games, but the ease with which these scams occurred highlights a significant vulnerability in Steam’s system.
Arrowhead’s CEO, Johan Pilestedt, went on X to express his frustration, criticizing the simplicity with which these scams could be set up. The issue is not isolated to Helldivers 2; the popular survival game Palworld also experienced similar scams. Valve’s prompt action to remove these listings mitigated the immediate threat, but the incidents have exposed a glaring loophole in Steam’s backend that demands attention.
Despite these challenges, Helldivers 2 continues to enjoy immense popularity, with most server issues resolved, allowing players to engage fully in the game’s rich, cooperative gameplay. Arrowhead has also been proactive in evolving the narrative and gameplay elements of Helldivers 2, including the potential introduction of new mechs and enemy factions. Players are encouraged to ensure they are purchasing the correct version of the game, with the genuine copies being Helldivers 2 and Helldivers 2: Super Citizen Edition, both released on February 8.
The scam has sparked a broader discussion about the need for heightened security on digital platforms and the responsibility of companies like Valve to safeguard against such fraudulent activities.
While this is unfortunate, Arrowhead doesn’t seem to be encountering the usual server capacity issues this time around after increasing the cap last week. It remains to be seen if Joel’s next move is enough to draw in another record number of hell divers and force Arrowhead to scramble once again.
