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[DenchDeckard]

Sony should've bought them instead of Bungie.

I think they'll still pick them up.

 

[Crispy Gamer]

Congratulations to them now I hope one of those gaas titles sony has in production is Socom hell I'll even take a knock off.

 

[Ronin_7]

A million…failed match making attempts or?

That would be billions.

 

[phant0m]

Congratulations to them now I hope one of those gaas titles sony has in production is Socom hell I'll even take a knock off.

Who would even make that? Shame what happened to Zipper, but I don’t think any of Sony’s 1P Studios has the repertoire to make a slow-paced, tactical shooter.

But a remastered SOCOM trilogy of the first 3 games would be dope.

Spoiler

Bluepoint? Plz?

 

[Sanepar]

It will cross 2 million sold by next weekend.

 

[rhodesianshepard]

Congratulations to them now I hope one of those gaas titles sony has in production is Socom hell I'll even take a knock off.

This is the first game to scratch that Socom itch. It just took 18 years. wtf took so long?

 

[Crispy Gamer]

This is the first game to scratch that Socom itch. It just took 18 years. wtf took so long?

Yeah it's weird lol Socom in today's environment would be a behemoth

 

[GeoramA]

Huge success in only a few days. Happy as hell for Arrowhead.

Now Sony needs to acquire them before Tencent comes knocking.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Sony's IR is scheduled for this Wednesday so hopefully during their Q&A we'll hear about the game's performance. I bet it will reach around 1.5M - 2M units sold by then which is def a success for both Arrowhead and SIE.

 

[yurinka]

I think Sony's strategy with this is part of their ongoing experiments they seem to be doing with PC releases. It's almost as if they are getting out of the way of the game because they want it to stand on its own merits, almost like they're unsure if their name/brand would be detrimental in the PC space for a game like this. I have the PS5 version and even on that I don't think there is are any PS logos on start up.

It has a custom PS Studios logo at the start of the game, like in any other recent PS Studios game. The thing is that in PS5 you can boot games loading directly to a specific point of the game skipping the logos, and this is what it does when you go back later.

The game appeared in multiple state of play/showcase events, had different PS blog posts and several trailers plus other videos, AMA in Reddit, sent preview codes to the gaming press and more. It also had paid ads in at least places like Google Ads/YouTube etc. Normal PS Studios promotion but obviously not at the scale of Spider-Man or God of War because it strated as a small team and the IP isn't that well known.

The only thing different has been that they didn't send review codes to the gaming press weeks before the release and instead sent them the launch day, pretty likely because there are things like the shared progress and random players jumping in and out of your party wasn't available in a closed environment at least in the same scale. Plus maybe they were fixing important bugs until the very last moment.

Also even though that this could have been a chance to see if they could get PC users using PSN accounts, they wisely sidestepped that temptation.

I didn't buy any Sony game in PC, but as I remember since Spider-Man Remastered you can login using the PSN account, but isn't mandatory.

In the background they clearly flexed their muscles though with ensuring the game was spread to trusted channels for considered previews, and obviously made sure the PS audience were aware of it via State of Play exposure.

I think now it's successful they will start to own it, and hopefully they allow Arrowhead to support it for a long term, they've done a great job at launch responding to issues swiftly.

Yes, as a GaaS it will have a meaningful post-launch support with more content, features, fixes and rebalancing for the mid term. Beyond that, to have support during more or less years will depend on monetization and retention.

Aside from the scalability issues that the matchmaking had at launch and some crashes in the PC version, the release apparently has been pretty successful, more than they estimated. Let's see how it continues performing, but it's promising.

I see a lot of potential in the game, IP (sequels and movies/tv show) and dev team. I think Sony should secure them with an acquisition.

 

[Coconutt]

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I mean people here can act like online MP gaming is the devil all day but games like this are Arcade and old school gaming evolved to me. Laughing your ass off with your friends, showing off to each other with ridiculous plays, balls to the wall action, pure fun and no bullshit.

You want the antidote to "cinematic sad Dad" shit everyone whines about? This is the antithesis and what gaming is all about to me at least.

 

[tmlDan]

I mean people here can act like online MP gaming is the devil all day but games like this are Arcade and old school gaming evolved to me. Laughing your ass off with your friends, showing off to each other with ridiculous plays, balls to the wall action, pure fun and no bullshit.

You want the antidote to "cinematic sad Dad" shit everyone whines about? This is the antithesis and what gaming is all about to me at least.

I don't understand it, the best gaming moments in my life growing up was playing with friends (couch co-op, arcades, online), MP gaming is hated way too much here.

I just think they're sad and lonely

 

[Beechos]

Who cares about sales. The gamers are engaged!

 

[March Climber]

Uhhh... what?

Helldivers II was:

• Announced at the (at the time) long-awaited PlayStation Showcase 2023 as the second title shown during the event.
• Featured in not only one but two State of Play events (September 2023 where a gameplay was shown and February 2024 with a launch trailer).
• Advertised during The Game Awards 2023 ceremony.

And not to mention all the gameplay deep-dives and trailers that were released onto the PlayStation YouTube channel over the past few months.

This game was not sent to die by its publisher.

No commercials, barely any social media ads, no banners, no public ads on buildings or bus stops, etc.

That’s what I mean when I say the marketing budget was low. This game was not treated with the same respect and care that other huge Playstation exclusives were treated with.

If you want to pretend like those three gamer-focused events are a huge deal then by all means. But we both know what a big marketing budget looks like.

 

[Perrott]

No commercials, barely any social media ads, no banners, no public ads on buildings or bus stops, etc.

That’s what I mean when I say the marketing budget was low. This game was not treated with the same respect and care that other huge Playstation exclusives were treated with.

If you want to pretend like those three gamer-focused events are a huge deal then by all means. But we both know what a big marketing budget looks like.

For a multiplayer-centric game like Helldivers, having a major content creator just have fun with their buddies on stream makes for a much heavier promotional impact than the typical in-real-life marketing cycle of a cinematic blockbuster game (Spider-Man, God of War, The Last Of Us, Hogwarts, Red Dead, Starfield) that tries to appeal and compete for the attention of a more film-oriented portion of the mainstream audience.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Scoop up Arrowhead Sony and let's get a Helldivers pvp shooter.

 

[March Climber]

For a multiplayer-centric game like Helldivers, having a major content creator just have fun with their buddies on stream makes for a much heavier promotional impact than the typical in-real-life marketing cycle of a cinematic blockbuster game (Spider-Man, God of War, The Last Of Us, Hogwarts, Red Dead, Starfield) that tries to appeal and compete for the attention of a more film-oriented portion of the mainstream audience.

Destiny and Destiny 2 didn’t just use streamers. They had a more public presence as well.

And before anyone says ‘actually’ I’m not saying either destiny game was advertised by Sony. I am showing the difference of marketing budget for a game that was also heavily multiplayer.

What I am saying is there is a big difference between some internet videos with streamers, and Kratos’ face being front and center around places you walk and drive.

 

[Kadve]

I'll say it again: buy them SONY! They've proven themselves twice now, if you want to expand your multiplayer offerings these are the kind of devs you want, you *grossly* overpaid for Bungie who haven't done jack shit since, (hopefully Marathon delivers).

Why would they want to be bought? Seems to be doing fine as an Indie Studio.

 

[vivftp]

Why would they want to be bought? Seems to be doing fine as an Indie Studio.

Arrowhead has worked with SIE exclusively for over a decade, is familiar with them and knows the benefits of SIEs vast support network that can help them build a game. SIE trusted them enough to give them enough funding and resources to make the jump to becoming a AAA studio with Helldivers 2. At some point it does make sense to accept an acquisition offer which means Arrowhead no longer has to worry about the day to day funding of keeping their lights on as that would now be Sonys concern. It'd also give them an opportunity to grow the studio if that's what they desire, as they would now have access to Sonys deep pockets.

Also worth keeping in mind that Sony owns the Helldivers IP and Arrowhead is likely committed to supporting HD2 for the next few years or so, and that's after spending 8 years building this game. They're going to be in bed with Sony for a long while, so if the owner(s) decide to accept a payout then why not. The studio would at least be in good hands and be given all the support they could want.

Sony's scooped up a lot of long time partner studios over the past few years like Bluepoint, Housemarque and Insomniac. Before that Sony did the same with other long time partners like Sucker Punch, Guerrilla Games and Naughty Dog. All of those studios saw a benefit in accepting an acquisition offer, so it's not unthinkable that Arrowheads owners might do the same.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

I think they will.

There is a slight chance that the recent Xbox news may change Sony's plans, but I still think they will buy Arrowhead.

They kind of have no choice but to do so.

First major multiplayer success for them, especially on PC.

In terms of changed plans, I wonder if this is the type of studio you have take over a canceled TLOU Online game and really build the studio out between developing that and supporting HD2.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Arrowhead has worked with SIE exclusively for over a decade, is familiar with them and knows the benefits of SIEs vast support network that can help them build a game. SIE trusted them enough to give them enough funding and resources to make the jump to becoming a AAA studio with Helldivers 2. At some point it does make sense to accept an acquisition offer which means Arrowhead no longer has to worry about the day to day funding of keeping their lights on as that would now be Sonys concern. It'd also give them an opportunity to grow the studio if that's what they desire, as they would now have access to Sonys deep pockets.

Also worth keeping in mind that Sony owns the Helldivers IP and Arrowhead is likely committed to supporting HD2 for the next few years or so, and that's after spending 8 years building this game. They're going to be in bed with Sony for a long while, so if the owner(s) decide to accept a payout then why not. The studio would at least be in good hands and be given all the support they could want.

Sony's scooped up a lot of long time partner studios over the past few years like Bluepoint, Housemarque and Insomniac. Before that Sony did the same with other long time partners like Sucker Punch, Guerrilla Games and Naughty Dog. All of those studios saw a benefit in accepting an acquisition offer, so it's not unthinkable that Arrowheads owners might do the same.

Well, most of those studios can squeeze out more than one game per decade, so there’s that.

 

[vivftp]

Well, most of those studios can squeeze out more than one game per decade, so there’s that.

Arrowhead isn't a giant studio. Helldivers released at the end of 2015 and here we have Helldivers 2 releasing early 2024, a bit over 8 years later. This is their largest game to date and will need a lot of the studio resources to provide continued support over the coming years. I believe there was word that they were looking to work on their next project, but it'll still be many many years off.

Either way, my point is that it's definitely not unthinkable that Sony would make an acquisition offer and that Arrowheads owners might agree. They've worked with Sony for a long time and will be continuing to work with them for many more years.

 

[TheMan]

1 million sales, 10 million failed connection messages.

Thumbs up.

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Arrowhead isn't a giant studio. Helldivers released at the end of 2015 and here we have Helldivers 2 releasing early 2024, a bit over 8 years later. This is their largest game to date and will need a lot of the studio resources to provide continued support over the coming years. I believe there was word that they were looking to work on their next project, but it'll still be many many years off.

Either way, my point is that it's definitely not unthinkable that Sony would make an acquisition offer and that Arrowheads owners might agree. They've worked with Sony for a long time and will be continuing to work with them for many more years.

Right, and of course I have no clue what their relationship is like. But it’s hard to imagine a situation where 8 years of development for a game of this scope signals efficient development culture. And it’s not like it’s an itty bitty studio either. But, what do I know.

 

[Hibs]

Spend some of that money for dedicated servers for Multiplayer. None of this P2P shit.

 

[ByWatterson]

I mean people here can act like online MP gaming is the devil all day but games like this are Arcade and old school gaming evolved to me. Laughing your ass off with your friends, showing off to each other with ridiculous plays, balls to the wall action, pure fun and no bullshit.

You want the antidote to "cinematic sad Dad" shit everyone whines about? This is the antithesis and what gaming is all about to me at least.

I don't think people here dismiss multiplayer or even live service.

It's trend-chasing that bothers people. Great single-player studios chasing the illusory end of a rainbow, debasing themselves, and disastrously failing.

 

[Kadve]

Arrowhead has worked with SIE exclusively for over a decade, is familiar with them and knows the benefits of SIEs vast support network that can help them build a game. SIE trusted them enough to give them enough funding and resources to make the jump to becoming a AAA studio with Helldivers 2. At some point it does make sense to accept an acquisition offer which means Arrowhead no longer has to worry about the day to day funding of keeping their lights on as that would now be Sonys concern. It'd also give them an opportunity to grow the studio if that's what they desire, as they would now have access to Sonys deep pockets.

Also worth keeping in mind that Sony owns the Helldivers IP and Arrowhead is likely committed to supporting HD2 for the next few years or so, and that's after spending 8 years building this game. They're going to be in bed with Sony for a long while, so if the owner(s) decide to accept a payout then why not. The studio would at least be in good hands and be given all the support they could want.

Sony's scooped up a lot of long time partner studios over the past few years like Bluepoint, Housemarque and Insomniac. Before that Sony did the same with other long time partners like Sucker Punch, Guerrilla Games and Naughty Dog. All of those studios saw a benefit in accepting an acquisition offer, so it's not unthinkable that Arrowheads owners might do the same.

Sure. Until Sony shuts them down that is for not being profitable enough.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Sure. Until Sony shuts them down that is for not being profitable enough.

That's business.

You have something I want, you're in.
You fail te deliver on your potential, you're out.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I mean people here can act like online MP gaming is the devil all day but games like this are Arcade and old school gaming evolved to me. Laughing your ass off with your friends, showing off to each other with ridiculous plays, balls to the wall action, pure fun and no bullshit.

You want the antidote to "cinematic sad Dad" shit everyone whines about? This is the antithesis and what gaming is all about to me at least.

Amen.

This is the type of game PlayStation should have been building for the last 15+ years. This is the future of the medium. That sad dad walking sim genre has aged like milk.

 

[Faust]

Who would even make that? Shame what happened to Zipper, but I don’t think any of Sony’s 1P Studios has the repertoire to make a slow-paced, tactical shooter.

But a remastered SOCOM trilogy of the first 3 games would be dope.

Spoiler

Bluepoint? Plz?

A quality SOCOM return would be amazing. Sadly I just don't see it happening without it becoming some GAAS style Hero Shooter or COD clone.

 

[BossLackey]

I'm so glad this game is selling well.

Beyond the server issues, I'm having a ridiculous amount of fun.

Played the hell out of the first one and was pleasantly surprised to see all the good stuff from it came over.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Looks like it continues to sell well on PSN, being 3rd best selling title in the US behind behemoths like COD and Fortnite. I think they'll reach 2M or maybe 2.5M units sold by the time this week ends.