Helldivers 2 update aims to turn things around

Helldivers 2 is losing players consistently and on the decline. Read on to learn the reason for this downward trend and Arrowhead’s future plans.

Helldivers 2 Loses 90% of Players in 5 MonthsHelldivers 2 Becomes Less Popular Among Steam Users

Helldivers 2, Arrowhead's critically acclaimed alien-shooter, marked a notable milestone as Playstation's most quickly selling game ever at launch. Despite its meteoric rise, the game has suffered a steep decline on Steam, with player numbers plummeting to approximately 10% of its all-time concurrent peak of 458,709 players.

Helldivers 2 faced a very significant issue with the infamous PSN debacle earlier this year, when Sony suddenly enforced a requirement for a player to register to a PSN account to their Steam game purchase. This ended up excluding 177 countries that do not have access to those PSN services. Players who purchased and pre-ordered the game in these regions were suddenly unable to access the game, and players who were able to register a PSN account still left with a bad taste in their mouth. Helldivers 2 was reviewbombed by players all over the world as a result and player count dropped precipitously. The fallout was so severe that the game was pulled from sale in countries where PSN services were non-existent.

By the end of May, Helldivers 2 had seen a significant drop, with SteamDB recording a 64% decline to 166,305 players. Today, the 30-day average has fallen further to around 41,860 concurrent players, a 90% reduction from its initial peak.

It’s important to note that these figures only account for the Steam player base, and that a substantial portion of the community for the Sony-published game is still active on the PS5. However, it’s believed that the Steam version still made up a majority of its player base..

Helldivers 2 Freedom's Flame Warbond is coming on August 8

Arrowhead, in a bold measure to address prevailing issues and respond to the dwindling player base and lure new players, has recently announced the imminent release of Freedom’s Flame Warbond update on August 8, 2024. This new update will introduce new weapons, armor and missions including the highly anticipated Airburst Rocket Launcher and two new capes and cards called Purifying Eclipse, which is a poignant tribute to the Liberation of Choepessa IV in the First Galactic War, and The Breach, a reminder of the final mission of the 361st Freedom’s Flame. These new additions are designed to sustain the game’s appeal and entice new players in an effort to rejuvenate the player base.

Helldivers 2 as a Live Service Game and Push for Content

Helldivers 2 surpassed all expectations during launch by selling 12 million copies in just 2 weeks, more than God of War: Ragnarok. This is a noteworthy achievement in and of itself but this is not a trajectory that Sony and Arrowhead may want for a live service format. In fact, as a live service game, Arrowhead wants Helldivers 2 to be an ongoing success. Since there is no real ending and no end quest; to Helldivers 2, Arrowhead can constantly add new cosmetics, gears and content to the game, thereby ensuring an infinite loop of monetization.

Helldivers 2 remains a noteworthy title in the Co-op shooter world despite some challenges it has faced. The decline in its player base highlights the importance of acknowledging the needs of the players and addressing matters quickly. It will be very interesting to see the game’s future moving forward as it continues to push for more content and court player’s attention.