2024 has been a very interesting year for the video game industry, with some unexpected success stories. Helldivers 2 is one of the biggest examples, finding massive interest on PlayStation 5 and Steam. Two days after launch, Arrowhead Games CEO Johan Pilestedt claimed that the game’s sales were around 1 million units, and it seems things have greatly escalated since. According to Doug Creutz, an analyst for TD Cowen (via Bloomberg), that number has since jumped to 8 million copies. Sony has not confirmed those figures yet, so readers should take that with a grain of salt until we get official numbers. ย
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If those numbers are accurate, it’s possible PlayStation is waiting to see if Helldivers 2 crosses the 10 million mark before making an announcement. 10 million sold would be a huge accomplishment, and cement Helldivers 2 as one of Sony’s most notable new franchises of the last few years. Sony isn’t the best at offering sales data for its games, but it’s safe to assume the company will want to do a victory lap in this case. At the very least, we can probably expect to hear something from Pilestedt given how upfront he’s been with the game’s community.ย
Helldivers 2 on Xbox
Sony owns the rights to the Helldivers franchise, and it has remained a PlayStation console exclusive, though both games have been made available on Steam. Given the game’s online nature, some have wondered if Helldivers 2 could end up coming to Xbox; in fact, Xbox boss Phil Spencer even told Game File last month that he’s “not exactly sure who it helps in the industry by not being on Xbox.” However, Sony has largely avoided releasing its first-party games on non-PlayStation hardware; the lone exception is MLB The Show, which the company is contractually obligated to make available on competing platforms.ย
While PlayStation owns all rights to Helldivers, it does not own Arrowhead Games. The huge success of Helldivers 2 set off a flurry of rumors about Sony’s intent to buy the studio, and it would seem like a smart investment. However, Pilestedt has confirmed that the studio will remain independent.ย
PlayStation Games in 2024
The success of Helldivers 2 has been good for Sony for a lot of reasons. The company confirmed in a recent financial briefing that it has “no plan for release of major franchise titles” through the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. We already know about major games in development like Marvel’s Wolverine, and the leaked Venom spin-off, but PlayStation fans will largely have to rely on games from other publishers over the next year. That could result in a quiet 2024, but if PS5 users are engaged and happy with Helldivers 2, it might make the wait a bitย more tolerable!ย
Are you one of the 8 million players that have checked out Helldivers 2 since launch? Did the game’s success come as a big surprise to you? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
