Arrowhead’s chaotic alien-shooter Helldivers 2 became PlayStation’s fastest-selling game ever, but despite its initial success, player numbers have since declined.
A look at the game’s Steam charts shows a steady drop since February, when the game launched. According to SteamDB, at its peak in February shortly after launch, there were 458,709 concurrent players. In comparison, its peak over the last 30 days is 166,305. That’s a drop of 64 percent.
Looking by average players, February had 208,303 helldivers in the game. That average player count has dropped to 78,634 over the last 30 days (a 62 percent drop).
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Of course, player numbers are expected to drop over time. But for Helldivers 2 there are a number of factors that may have contributed to this decline.
The most notable reason is the infamous PSN debacle that kicked off earlier this month. At the start of May, Helldivers 2 publisher Sony announced players on Steam would soon be required to link a PlayStation Network (PSN) account to keep playing. This not only resulted in swathes of negative reviews from a very disappointed community, but the game was also pulled from sale in 177 countries where PSN was not available.
Sony soon backtracked on its plans, stating it was “still learning what is best for PC players”, calling the monumental span of feedback “invaluable.”
Another factor contributing to the game’s decline in player numbers could be the balancing, which Arrowhead’s newly appointed chief creative officer and chairman Johan Pilestedt previously admitted the team sometimes went too far with. Additionally, the game has sometimes been subject to bugs and other issues, causing player frustration.
In response, the Helldivers 2 team is now considering a “slightly lower” but higher standard update frequency after a busy first few months.
While there has undeniably been a drop in player numbers, Helldivers 2 remains popular, and Pilestedt believes the game’s success is not because of the price point (Helldivers 2 currently retails at a comparatively modest £34.99 on Steam).
Earlier this week, Pilestedt spoke at the Nordic Game conference, where he addressed Helldivers 2’s ‘smash hit’ status. Here, I have stated Arrowhead managed to get the “fundamentals” right and delivered on the “fantasy” of the experience. While many others have made shooters like Helldivers 2 before, Pilestedt said his team “dug into the believability of what it would be to be in that game.”
Pilestedt also reasoned Helldivers 2 is an authentic experience in a lot of ways and doesn’t put up barriers that wouldn’t actually be there. “In Star Wars, how many strikes does it take to cut someone’s hand off with a lightsaber? It’s one,” he said. “It is fundamental that we adhere to the fantasy… Fine, balance it, but don’t make it two strikes. I know that’s false, and now we’re not making a Star Wars game anymore.”
Another factor that has contributed to Helldivers 2’s success is its style, with the developer stating the game is a “representation of those who made it.”
Pilestedt lastly touched on its success as a live service game, something others have struggled with. “It’s easy to say, ‘well, we’ll earn more money by being able to drop a content pack here and there’. But that’s not a reason why any consumer would want to engage with us,” he noted.
Pilestedt said live service games can be good for the industry “if done right”, as they become a continuously evolving hobby. “If you forget this when making a live service game, then I think that – I don’t want to say it’s a problem – but it is a problem. I think that is a problem… I’ve decided it’s a problem “It’s a massive problem,” he said.
He also implored developers not to shy away from engaging with their community. While he admitted there are “arseholes” out there, that should not prevent a studio from interacting with its fanbase. He noted there will be times when people get “pissed”, acknowledging that PSN hoo-ha. “But, at that point, it’s like ‘ah, sorry! Yeah, that was a bad move by us’… an apology doesn’t mean that you devalue your own brand as an organization, it just strengthens you.”
You can hear Pilestedt talk in the video below, starting at the 4hr 37 minute mark.
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