Despite PlayStation having virtually no first-party games definitively releasing in 2024 currently, they’re already off to a great start thanks to an unexpected gem. Arrowhead Game Studios’ co-op shooter Helldivers 2 has given PlayStation their first big hit of the year. On Steam, the game has surpassed God of War (2018) as PlayStation’s biggest PC launch of all-time and has amassed an impressive peak concurrence of over 150,000 players in its first weekend. It’s also been a blast to watch streams of people “doing their part” to deliver freedom and democracy across the galaxy. Even after a messy PC launch filled with matchmaking and server issues, Helldivers 2 is a highly acclaimed game by both fans and critics.

With Helldivers 2 being the first of many live service games that PlayStation is developing, it has the potential to be a game-changing force for the publisher. Its landmark success could influence key decisions at PlayStation and elevate an independent studio like Arrowhead into a larger spotlight. Helldivers 2 is more than just a breakout hit for fans to celebrate as it presents meaningful aspects that genuinely could change everything at PlayStation.

A future acquisition?

There’s a long history of PlayStation acquiring studios after gaining large-scale success and credibility under the publisher’s banner. Insomniac Games was acquired in 2019 when their first Spider-Man became a humongous hit. Housemarque was officially brought onto the team after they delivered a beloved new IP in Returnal. Bluepoint Games was acquired not too long after their 2020 remake of Demon’s Souls gave the PS5 a remarkable launch title. Now, with Arrowhead producing a breakout multiplayer/live service game for PlayStation, it needs to be asked: Is PlayStation going to acquire Arrowhead?

While it’s not necessarily needed, the acquisition of Arrowhead does fit PlayStation’s patterns and could be beneficial for both parties. For Arrowhead, they could receive more dedicated support for Helldivers 2 and all their future games from PlayStation. Maybe this could result in some fun crossover content for Helldivers 2 or more meaty expansions. As for PlayStation, adding a studio like Arrowhead would instantly bolster its multiplayer portfolio – which it desperately needs. Listen, the decision to force PlayStation’s first-party studios to work on multiplayer games was clearly too hasty and only resulted in failure.

Naughty Dog’s Last of Us: Factions game is now cancelled and Insomniac’s rumored Spider-Verse multiplayer game is also gone. If PlayStation is serious about carving a path in the multiplayer/live service space, then it needs studios that are more interested and dedicated to crafting those types of games. Arrowhead will fill that void excellently and they’re off to a great start with Helldivers 2. PlayStation has found a lot of success with its more recent acquisitions and Arrowhead could be another slam dunk.

A template of success

As said before, PlayStation’s multiplayer/live service games haven’t panned out thus far. More notable ones have gotten cancelled and widespread doubt has started to spread. But Helldivers 2 gives PlayStation something they haven’t had in live service yet – potential first-party success.

The premise of Helldivers 2 creates a community with a common goal – to rid the galaxy of noxious bugs and killer robots in the hopes of spreading democracy and freedom. Across social media, the phrase “doing my part” has already become synonymous with Helldivers 2 and there’s a social following with the game that most dream of having. Plus, the game’s battle pass – called Warbonds – has received praise for its cheapness and accessibility.

Helldivers 2 essentially gives PlayStation a workable blueprint to use for future live service efforts. If PlayStation can evolve the mechanics of Helldivers 2 to keep players around and apply what works to other titles, they could have a lucrative new path in front of them.

What PlayStation’s support looks like

An under-discussed aspect of Helldivers 2 is how it defines what PlayStation’s support actually looks like. It’s worth remembering that the original Helldivers – while impressive and immensely fun – was more of a top-down, twin sticker shooter. It’s the kind of game that made sense to play on the go and thrived in its arcade look and feel. But, it wouldn’t have fit into the scale PlayStation’s current first-party lineup. With PlayStation upgrading the sequel to be a major exclusive release, Helldivers 2 represents a huge glow-up.

The environments, sound design, and epic quality of the explosions reach new heights. The switch to third-person perspective immerses players deeper into the action and truly lets Star Trooper fans live out their fantasies. More importantly, the concept of Helldivers elevates to a mind-blowing scale with Helldivers 2, and that likely wouldn’t have been possible without PlayStation’s support and resources.

It’s truly a shining example of what it means to have PlayStation Studios’ backing and that could easily lead to other developers going to PlayStation with ambitious ideas. If anyone needs to understand what it truly means to have PlayStation’s support, then look no further than Helldivers 2.

Changing up the PC strategy

Although PlayStation has found great success with keeping its exclusives, well, exclusive to their consoles, they are continuing to explore the idea of bringing first-party games to PC. Normally, PlayStation releases its first-party titles to consoles and then about 6-12 months later, they’ll arrive on PC. However, Helldivers 2 marks a significant shift in their strategy as it was released on PC and PS5 on the same day. So far, the change has been a massive success and could signal a larger change for PlayStation’s live service games going forward.

With Helldivers 2 passing more notable exclusives on PC within its first days of release, PlayStation should highly consider going day and date on PC from here on out – at least for live service games. By doing same-day releases for PC and PS5, PlayStation will gain a much larger player base at the start and stand a great chance at selling many more copies.

Maybe at one point, they’ll just release all their first party games on PC and PS5 simultaneously. But for now, single-player games will stay tied to PS5 a bit until it eventually comes to PC. Still, the success of Helldivers 2 will definitely warrant some food for thought for PlayStation when it comes to their PC strategy.