Third-Person Shooter ‘Helldivers 2’ Gains Popularity on Steam
Impressive Concurrent Player Stats
Third-person shooter sensation Helldivers 2 made waves over the weekend as it reached an extraordinary 409,337 concurrent players on Steam. This remarkable feat solidified its position as the fifth most popular game on the platform. It’s worth noting that three out of the top five games on Steam are free, further highlighting Helldivers 2‘s success considering its $40 price tag. This impressive achievement demonstrates the game’s strong appeal to the gaming community.
Sony-Funded Success
Having been released on February 8, Helldivers 2 enjoyed a fantastic opening weekend. However, its success came with some technical challenges. The overwhelming number of players, approximately 155,000, caused issues with the game’s servers. The development team swiftly addressed the problem to accommodate the influx of players who joined during the recent extra XP weekend.
Competition with Paid and Free Games
While Palworld remains the most popular paid-for title on Valve’s PC platform with 430,723 players over the weekend, it’s remarkable that Helldivers 2 managed to achieve such popularity despite its $10 higher price compared to the Pokémon-inspired craft-me-do. Notably, Palworld is already a month old and had an all-time peak of 2.1 million concurrent players.
Satirical Legacy and Ongoing Popularity
Arrowhead Studio’s Helldivers was first released as a top-down co-op shooter in 2015, heavily influenced by the movie version of Starship Troopers. Set on Super Earth, the satirical game depicted a future democracy with predictable outcomes controlled by the government. Players fight against three factions: Bugs, Cyborgs, and Illuminates. Now, in its sequel, the game has transitioned to a third-person perspective, offering a larger scale and garnering even more popularity with the players.
Continued Success and PS5 Compatibility
Note that the figures mentioned above only represent PC players and do not include the player base on PS5, as the game supports crossplay between these two platforms.
Positive Review and Grim Realism
One of Kotaku‘s contributors, Zach Zweizen, has expressed his enjoyment of Helldivers 2. The game, albeit with some initial technical challenges, embraces a realistic and challenging combat experience, enhancing the sense of realism by incorporating friendly fire and limited ammunition. However, despite its relentless challenges, Helldivers 2 grants players the necessary tools, options, and weapons to emerge as true heroes amidst its hellish battles.
I’m so old it’s making me nostalgic for Planetside.
