The Troubles of 'Helldivers 2' Despite Strong Initial Success

TapTechNews June 30 news, the highly anticipated Sony shooter game 'Helldivers 2' achieved remarkable results at the debut, but within just a few months, the number of players has drastically dropped by 90%. Despite the continuous update of content, the trend of player loss is difficult to reverse.

'Helldivers 2' was launched simultaneously on PlayStation and PC platforms on February 8, 2024. The peak concurrent online player count of the PC version once reached as high as 458,709 two weeks after its release. However, the good times didn't last long. The number of players in this game shrank by 90% within four months, and the current highest concurrent online number is only 44,093. As a result, the game often drops out of the top 10 of Steam sales chart and currently only ranks 58th, while the highest number of viewers on Twitch is only 56.

As an online game that emphasizes continuous operation, the player loss trend of 'Helldivers 2' is particularly worrying. The key to the success of such games lies in the number of long-term active players rather than just the initial popularity.

For single-player games, Sony can sell a large number of copies, and it doesn't matter much even if players lose a lot after clearing the game. 'Helldivers 2' is different. It tries to maintain player stickiness by continuously updating equipment, appearance, tasks, and new frontline content. However, recently players have complained that the high-difficulty levels are too劝退 (discouraging), and even the official release of a large-scale balance patch failed to effectively improve the player loss problem.

In addition to content updates, the game mode and profit model of 'Helldivers 2' are also questioned. Unlike other online PvE games, 'Helldivers 2' has not announced any large-scale expansion pack plan so far, and the release time of new content also lacks transparency. Even if the new enemy race 'Lightbringers' is about to be added, players don't need to pay extra to participate.

Another feature of 'Helldivers 2' is its user-friendly in-game purchase system. Players can easily obtain high-level currency through in-game activities. Although this is beneficial to players, it goes against Sony's established profit goal - a continuously operating game requires a stable source of income, and the current severe player loss is bound to affect the established income plan.

Overall, 'Helldivers 2' had a remarkable debut, but its subsequent operation performance is worrying. As an online game, its long-term development trend is not optimistic. The game has not entered the PlayStation top ten online games chart for a long time, and instead is replaced by evergreens such as 'Fortnite', 'Call of Duty', 'GTA Online', 'Overwatch 2', and 'Roblox'.