“Helldivers 2,” the sequel to the top-down shooter video game “Helldivers,” launched on Feb. 8, 2024 and has already been a huge success, selling over 8 million units. Despite not getting a lot of marketing, how did this game have such an incredible achievement after it was released only on the PS5 (PlayStation 5) and personal computer (PC)?
A reason for this is the game’s multiplayer aspect. “Helldivers 2” acts like a horde shooter game because a player, with the help of other fellow players, defends Super Earth from the Automatons (robots) and Terminids (giant bugs). The fact that players are pitted against a larger threat rather than other players in the game has fostered a strong sense of community within players by making them work together to complete missions. Because of this, the game’s developers have no plans to add the player vs player (PVP) feature to it.
Moreover, “Helldivers 2” could arguably be the initiator of a new trend in gaming. When “PUBG Battlegrounds” came out in 2017, it made battle royales the most popular genre in gaming. While it was a type of game that had existed for a while, “PUBG Battlegrounds” is what made it a phenomenon. Then, of course, “Fortnite: Battle Royale” came along and made the genre even more popular.
Similarly, the horde shooter game genre has existed for a while but wasn’t popular until “Helldivers 2” was released. If the Helldivers were replaced with Clone Troopers and the Automatons with Battle Droids, then there could possibly be a new “Star Wars” game in this genre. If the Helldivers were replaced with Spartans and the Terminids with The Covenant, then there could be a new “Halo” game in this genre. The sky’s the limit with how this genre can expanded upon.
However, “Helldivers 2” could also be the newest fad that dies out in a couple of months. With how many updates the game has already received, this is doubtful. Hopefully, if “Helldivers 2” does become the horde shooter game prototype, other developers will see how well Arrowhead Games is handling live service gaming and hold themselves to that same level of quality.
