Summary
Helldivers 2proved this year that there is still room in the video game industry for new online multiplayer games to succeed, studios just need to get a little more inventive. Helldivers' success is made even more impressive by it being locked toPlayStationand PC with noXboxavailability in sight. The sequel might find its way to Xbox one day though, and Arrowhead’s boss has shed some light on what needs to happen to get Helldivers on PlayStation’s rival platform.
Arrowhead’s community manager Thomas “Twinbeard” Petersson was asked about a potential Xbox porton the Helldivers 2 Discord. Twinbeard confirmed that Arrowhead would love Helldivers 2 to be on Xbox, but it’s up to those at the very top of the Xbox and PlayStation trees to make that happen.
It’s not up to us but to Sony and Phil [Spencer] to duke out, but hypothetically speaking, if both partners think it would benefit them from a financial/brand standpoint, it could. If Sony believes it won’t though, it won’t.
In terms of financial success, Helldivers 2 has been one of PlayStation’s biggest hits in recent history. Less than three months after it launched, the Arrowhead hitalready ranked among the top ten PlayStation games of all timein terms of revenue. Impressive not only due to some of the games it out-grossed to achieve that but also because it’s significantly cheaper than the industry standard at just $40.
There’s A Future Where Helldivers 2 Is Available On Xbox
Whether PlayStation Wants That Future Is Another Matter
Like any game though, eight months on from its release and Helldivers 2 ’s popularity has dropped off quite a bit. When Xbox ported some of its exclusives to PlayStation earlier this year, Spencer cited a drop off in sales as the reason for crossing that particular line.Hi-Fi RushandPentiment, in particular, likely weren’t selling all that well on Xbox anymore and were almost certainly given a boost by arriving on PlayStation - PlayStation andNintendo Switchfor Pentiment.
Although the barrier between PlayStation and Xbox is no longer an impenetrable one when it comes to exclusives - Bethesda’s Indiana Jones And The Great Circlewill come to PS5 in 2025, it launches on Xbox in December - so far it has been a one-way street. Helldivers 2 feels like a perfect first game for PlayStation to send the other way. It’s notAstro BotorThe Last Of Us. It’s an online multiplayer game that needs players to function and doesn’t feature characters synonymous with PlayStation. Hopefully there comes a time when PlayStation feels the need to put Helldivers 2 on Xbox and the hype it generated when it first released can be replicated.
Helldivers 2
WHERE TO PLAY
The Galaxy’s Last Line of Offence. Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter. Helldivers 2 features Arrowhead’s best cooperative gameplay yet. Collaboration will be vital: Teams will synergize on loadouts, strategize their approach for each mission, and complete objectives together.
