Key conclusions
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Community manager Arrowhead has provided an update on the likelihood of Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox.
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They clarify that Arrowhead wants this to happen, but it's a mutual decision that PlayStation and Xbox have to come to terms with.
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At the end of the day, if putting Helldivers 2 on Xbox is good for the PlayStation brand and makes Sony money, it will happen.
Helldivers 2 proved this year that there is still room for new multiplayer online games to succeed in the video game industry, studios just need to be a little more inventive. The success of Helldivers is made even more impressive by the fact that it is locked to PlayStation and PC, with Xbox absent. However, the sequel could one day find its way to the Xbox, and the Arrowhead boss has shed some light on what needs to happen for Helldivers to appear on the rival PlayStation platform.
Arrowhead Community Manager Thomas “Twinbeard” Peterson was asked about a potential Xbox port on the Helldivers 2 Discord. Twinbeard has confirmed that Arrowhead would like Helldivers 2 to be on Xbox, but that's up to those at the very top of the Xbox and PlayStation trees.
It's not up to us, it's up to Sony and Phil [Spencer] but hypothetically speaking, if both partners think it would benefit them financially/brand wise, it could. If Sony believes it won't, it won't.
Relatives
John Helldiver is now canon in Helldivers 2
It turns out that the legendary Helldiver is real!
In terms of financial success, Helldivers 2 was one of the biggest PlayStation hits in recent history. Less than three months after its launch, the hit Arrowhead has already entered the top ten highest-grossing PlayStation games of all time. Not only is it impressive because of the few games it has collected in profits to achieve this, but also because it is significantly cheaper than the industry standard at just $40.
There is a future where Helldivers 2 will be available on Xbox
Whether PlayStation wants that kind of future is another matter
However, as with any game, eight months after its release, Helldivers 2's popularity dropped significantly. When Xbox moved some of its exclusives to PlayStation earlier this year, Spencer cited falling sales as the reason for crossing the line. In particular, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment likely didn't sell that well on Xbox and almost certainly got a boost with the PlayStation release – PlayStation and Nintendo Switch for Pentiment.
While the barrier between PlayStation and Xbox is no longer impassable when it comes to exclusives – Bethesda's Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to PS5 in 2025, it's launching on Xbox in December – until at that time it was a one-way street. Helldivers 2 seems like the perfect first PlayStation game to send in the other direction. It's not Astro Bot or The Last Of Us. It is a multiplayer online game that requires players to function and does not feature characters synonymous with PlayStation. Hopefully, the time will come when PlayStation feels the need to put Helldivers 2 on the Xbox, and the hype it created when it was first released can be replicated.
Hell divers 2
The Galaxy's Last Line of Attack. Join the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, furious, and furious third-person shooter. Helldivers 2 features Arrowhead's best co-op gameplay yet. Collaboration will be vital, with teams working together under load, strategizing for each mission and completing objectives together.
- Developer(s)
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Arrowhead Game Studios
- OpenCritic rating
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Strong
