Helldivers 2 earned the title of PlayStation’s fastest-selling game when it was first released. However, this success did not last long, as the game experienced a huge drop in player numbers after its release, and this is attributed to various factors.
Helldivers 2 player numbers plummet after PSN connection requirement
When Helldivers 2 launched in February, it reached 458,709 concurrent players according to Steam data. The highest concurrent player count in the last 30 days was 166,305. This corresponds to a 64% drop in the number of players.
Looking at the average player count, the game had an average of 208,303 players in February, dropping to an average of 78,634 players in the last 30 days. This represents a 62% drop.
One of the most obvious reasons for this decline is the PSN mandatory issue that erupted earlier this month. At the beginning of May, Helldivers 2’s publisher Sony announced that Steam players would need to link a PlayStation Network (PSN) account in order to continue playing the game.
This announcement, along with negative comments from a disappointed community, led to the game being pulled from sale in 177 countries where PSN was not available. Sony eventually took the feedback from players into consideration and backed down from this decision.
Another factor contributing to the player decline is the game’s balancing issues. Johan Pilestedt, Arrowhead’s newly appointed chief creative officer and president, admitted that the team sometimes went overboard with balancing. In addition, occasional bugs and other technical issues in the game have also caused frustration for players.
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In response to these issues, the Helldivers 2 team announced that after the intensity of the first few months, they are considering a slightly lower but higher standard of update frequency.
In short, Helldivers 2 failed to sustain the success of its debut and suffered a huge drop in player numbers due to various issues. The dev team’s efforts to make the game better with the feedback they’ve received could help turn this situation around in the future.
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