Helldivers 2 launched exclusively on PS5 and PC on February 8th, quickly becoming a phenomenon and climbing the charts to become one of the most popular games on Steam. The co-op third-person shooter developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment changed shape a bit when it launched simultaneously on Windows and PlayStation. Although not a proprietary title, Sony publishers rarely release games under their banner on other platforms after launch. However, the overwhelming success of Helldivers 2 may force parent company PlayStation to reconsider its strategy. The game is currently rumored to be the subject of internal discussions for a possible Xbox release.
The information comes from XboxEra co-founder Nick Baker ( @Shpeshal_Nick ), who talked about a possible Xbox launch for Helldivers 2 on the latest episode of the XboxEra podcast. “We know that PlayStation currently has a new CEO. And I think the CEO might be a little more open to certain things,” Baker said. “So what I’ve heard — it’s just a rumor — is that there may be very, very early preliminary discussions about the possibility of Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox,” he added.
However, keep in mind that these are just rumors and there is no official confirmation from either Sony or Microsoft that Helldivers 2 is coming to Xbox platforms. Baker also clarified that the rumor does not mean the game will be coming to Xbox. “From what I’ve heard there are some very early discussions about this, it could all fall to pieces. They may not agree on something,” he said on the podcast.
However, the possibility of Helldivers 2 on Xbox would not be so far-fetched. The game was a phenomenal success on PC thanks to regular updates and content additions that kept players engaged for two months after launch. The Xbox release of the online co-op shooter will attract completely new players to the game. And with the game’s live service model, more player engagement will generate more revenue.
Back in February, when Helldivers 2 blew up, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer bemoaned the game’s PlayStation and PC exclusivity and wondered who it was helping when it wasn’t on Xbox. “I will say that when I look at a game like Helldivers 2 and it’s a great game, thanks to the team that delivers on PC and PlayStation, I’m not really sure who it’s going to help in the industry without being on Xbox,” said Spencer in an interview with Game File.
Spencer’s comments came after Microsoft announced that four Xbox-exclusive games — HI-Fi Rush, Grounded, Sea of Thieves and Pentiment — would launch on rival platforms from Sony and Nintendo. With four of the first Xbox games coming to the PS5, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Sony did indeed decide to launch Helldivers 2 on the Xbox.
A few weeks after its release, Helldivers 2 broke several records for the number of concurrent players on Steam, surpassing popular games such as Grand Theft Auto 5, Destiny 2, Starfield and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, even though the game suffered from technical problems. The huge success of the game and the growing number of players left the developers unprepared for server crashes. Since then, Arrowhead Game Studios has released several updates to fix the game’s issues and stabilize the servers.