Arrowheads action packed alien shooting game, Helldivers 2 made a splash as the selling game, on PlayStation when it hit the shelves in February. However recent data suggests that the game has seen a drop in player numbers following its success.
SteamDB reports that Helldivers 2 reached its peak with 458,709 players playing simultaneously after its release. In contrast the games peak over the month has fallen to 166,305 marking a 64 percent decrease. The average number of players has also experienced a decline dropping from 208,303 in February to 78,634, over the 30 days.
Factors Contributing to the Decline
There are reasons, behind the decrease in the number of players in Helldivers 2. One significant factor was the requirement by Sony for PSN linking, which caused a lot of feedback from Steam users and led to the game being removed from sale in many countries. Even though Sony reversed this decision on the damage to the games reputation had already been done.
Moreover Johan Pilestedt, who is now Arrowheads officer and chairman admitted that sometimes their team made excessive balancing changes. This along with bugs and other issues might have added to player dissatisfaction. Contributed to the decline.
Despite the decrease, in player numbers Helldivers 2 remains popular. Pilestedt believes that its success is not because of its price but also because of how well they deliver on players expectations and create a realistic world. As they keep interacting with players and addressing issues it’s uncertain if Helldivers 2 can regain its momentum and maintain a player base over time.