What happened to Helldivers 2? Controversy & PlayStation Network scandal explained

From hitting just under a 460,000 player count peak to 11,000 soldiers in just seven months, Helldivers 2 has had a rollercoaster ride since its release – so what happened?

It’s safe to say that when it came out on February 8, 2024, Helldivers 2 took the gaming industry by storm. Following in the footsteps of Baldur’s Gate 3, Helldivers 2 offered brutal cooperative battle scenarios filled with pesky bugs and tons of extremely deadly robots. Given the nature of the adventure, the game was an instant success.

However, just four months later, the player base had been cut by more than half, with thousands of negative reviews, controversy, and boycotts plaguing the title for the following months. So, what happened to Helldivers 2, and can it rise back from the ashes of its own destruction in the coming update?

The downfall

The first problem that Helldivers 2 faced occurred the same day it was released. Sure, the game hit a peak of 458,000 players on Steam in the first month, but it was met with a plethora of frustrating bugs (not the enemy kind) and server issues, meaning fans couldn’t even play if they wanted to.

However, after a series of quick fixes and patches, Helldivers 2 was back up and running and began bringing in an average of 217,000 players in its first two months.

Then came the second problem: updates. It truly felt that with each patch, more issues were introduced than bugs were squashed. Each change was filled with nerfs for the player base’s favorite weapons, buffs for already overpowered enemies, or the introduction of Planetary Hazards while players were struggling to stay alive at the best of times.

As such, with each patch, more players became unhappy with the game’s state, and fewer began joining in on the fight.

A game is nothing without its players

This introduces the main issue regarding Helldivers 2’s descent. An online game can’t survive without its players, it’s what makes the matches run, what funds the updates, and is ultimately the audience the developers are pandering to. So, when the player base disappears, a game does too.

As previously mentioned, when Helldivers 2 was released in February, it hit a peak player count of 458,000 on Steam, which naturally doesn’t account for the wave of PlayStation players. Then, just five months later, that peak player count fell to a dramatic 91,000.

Thanks to the frustrating nerfs, which the developers have apologized for, and the countless unheard calls for change by the community, Helldivers 2 was home to a mob of unhappy players who were beginning to grow tired of the same missions, enemies, and unwanted changes.

Since then, the numbers have consistently dropped, with some as high as a 50% fall in players. Only the major update in August boosted its count, but just by a measly 2%.

The final nail in the PlayStation coffin

Combine the already dwindling player count with May’s PlayStation Network controversy and Helldivers 2 placed the final nail in its metaphorical coffin.

On May 3, 2024, Arrowhead announced that, from May 6, all new Helldivers 2 players on Steam would be required to connect their Steam account to a PlayStation network account. Any current players would have to connect their accounts by June 4, or not be allowed to play until they do.

While this was explained as a security move, one that was always intended but had to be delayed after the rocky launch, fans were incredibly frustrated.

What followed was bouts of review bombing, players insisting on refunds (which weren’t easy given it was months after release), fans refusing to play, and plenty more calling for drastic change.

After all, while some were complaining about the incessant need for a secondary account to play PC games, others would have been banned from the title altogether. This is primarily due to the fact that PlayStation Network isn’t available in over 170 countries, meaning they’d lose access to Helldivers 2.

During the controversy, a battle ensued regarding the Helldivers 2 community manager on the game’s Discord, the CEO who hoped Sony would reverse the decision, and Sony themselves.

Thankfully, the decision was reverted, but after feeling blindsided and frustrated, it acted as a death blow for Helldivers 2. The player base has never truly recovered, despite getting a major update shortly after.

Never say never

However, just because Helldivers 2 faced its fair share of storms doesn’t mean it can’t start to float with the right help.

In fact, Arrowhead is currently in the middle of a 60-day plan to “refine the gameplay experience” and complete adjustments of various systems, using their knowledge of what fans are calling for and enhancing the adventure to make it more enjoyable for the community.

The patch is set to go live on September 17 and is already shaping up to be the update many wanted from the last major change.

Buffs aside, Helldivers 2 needs new content

That being said, there’s one thing Arrowhead needs to do for the game to reach the heights it hit back in February: Helldivers 2 needs to release the Illuminate.

We’re currently seven months into the game, and there’s always been room for two more factions on the map. Combine that with the multiple leaks and enemies spotted around the game, and the community is practically begging for the enemy’s arrival.

Sure, buffed weapons and nerfed enemies are great, but what’s the fun with that if you don’t have new threats to destroy or new missions to use them on?

On top of begging for a new faction, fans are swarming the social media sites with demands for buffs to Stratagems, weapons, and just answers to all they’ve previously been demanding. However, with the new patch on the way, plenty are insisting “Arrowhead this is the moment you revive the game and the community.”

Whether these changes make a difference to Helldivers 2’s performance is yet to be seen, but it’s clear Arrowhead is determined to bring Super Earth back to its former glory, and for that, they just need to add a brand new threat.