Helldivers 2 Should Remind Sony Of Its Lack Of Multiplayer Games

Multiplayer in video games has come a long way. I fondly remember the old couch co-op days when buddies got together to enjoy competitive or cooperative gameplay sessions. No Internet in sight, it was all offline play on arcade machines and consoles. The enjoyment escalated immensely when you had a friend to share those joys with. And the modern multiplayer wouldn’t even exist if not for those times.

Slowly, technology progressed immensely, and instead of these machines being centralized only, they became commonplace with everyone owning one. Then came the Internet, and multiplayer took a whole new twist. First, it was over LAN parties, and soon full-blow online sessions hosting people from across the globe. And the more people with access to the game, the better. Helldivers 2 seems to understand this.

Sony’s Multi-Platform Launch Of Helldivers 2 Bore Fruit

I think you know well enough already that Sony is in a class of its own when it comes to exclusives. The overwhelming popularity of PlayStation as a platform is simply because of this fact. When the company decided to release said exclusives on PC, it was a pretty big deal, and one I respect it for. However, the fact remains that PlayStation platforms hold timed exclusivity for these games, and that’s a good thing.

But, this time Sony decided to experiment with something different. What if a game was released simultaneously on both platforms? Would that work out? And so, one of its dormant multi-player franchises, Helldivers, received a new entry and a simultaneous release. It’s been quite some time since its release now, and I think it’s safe to say that the experiment was a success. Helldivers 2 has spiraled into a very successful launch for Sony.

Not only is the game averaging much higher than expected concurrent players across the two platforms it came out on, but the game is also a sort of “suffering from success” moment for Sony itself. The game’s having some trouble keeping up with the player count. I think Helldivers 2 ended up performing a little too well, something Sony never anticipated, and I think there’s a lesson to be learned here.

Helldivers 2 servers are always full
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Timed Exclusive Singleplayers Is Good, But Sony Needs More Multi-Platform Online Games

So what’s the lesson here? I think Sony needs to consider more multi-platform, multiplayer games. As I mentioned, Sony always had strong exclusives, there’s no doubt about that. But these have all been single-player games. While I’ll always be a single-player over multiplayer kind of guy myself, the fact remains online games have a ton of demand, and it’s something Sony is lacking. Just take a look at Helldivers 2 and its reception.

Helldivers 2 has surpassed 400,000 concurrent players on Steam
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Now that Sony has seen for itself this venture can prove successful, I think it needs to put some effort into first-party multi-player games as well, something it releases simultaneously on other platforms. Oh, and let me make this clear, I don’t mean Sony should start releasing all of its exclusives on other platforms, no that would be counterproductive. Sony’s single-player games should retain their timed exclusive schedule.

As much as I want everyone to experience these gems, I firmly believe the complete eradication of exclusivity will never work out. I give Xbox the same suggestion, it should never fully abandon exclusivity. But multi-player games are different. They need as much community support as they can to thrive. The more people to play, the better. And since Sony’s lacking in this department, I believe it’s time to consider it following Helldivers 2.

After Helldivers 2, It’s Time To Revive Killzone And Warhawk

Oh, and there’s no need to worry, Sony has plenty at its disposal. Did you know that this lack of multi-player exclusive games was not always a problem? The industry giant had access to some pretty enjoyable titles back in the day during the PS3 era. One of my favorite online games of the time and possibly ever has to be Warhawk. It was third-person shooter brilliance with everything, impactful design, mechanic variation, and solid gunplay.

It was among the few Sony online games, yet was a pretty good one. It’s a shame the company shut down the servers back in 2019, but fans have tried their best to keep it playable, and I suggest you give it a try to see for yourself. Next up, we have a legendary franchise that never quite received the response it deserved, both from the community and Sony. It’s nothing other than the Killzone series.

Sony Shutting Down Online Server for Warhawk – RIP
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Back when the original Killzone was revealed, it was said to be a “Halo killer.” While it never quite reached those heights, it was an enjoyable series nonetheless. It had a ton of potential and was filled with fascinating game modes and a visual and audio design hard to surpass. Sadly, the PS4 entry Shadowfall was to be the last since Guerilla shifted to Horizon. I hope Helldivers 2 makes Sony consider these IPs once again.

Sony Should Drop The Pettiness And Include Xbox In The “Multi-Platform”

Before I conclude this discussion, there’s one thing I wish to say. Not releasing Helldivers 2 on Xbox was a very petty move in my opinion. I mean, the game is a multi-player that appreciates the fanbase, and one game is not going to eliminate PlayStation’s billion other advantages. Why be petty and stop the game from going on the Xbox platform? It wasn’t a professional and courteous move that’s for sure.

Petition to Bring Helldivers 2 to Xbox
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Microsoft has never done this. Even when the highly disputed Activision-Blizzard deal was decided in Xbox’s favor, Call of Duty games were not taken away from PlayStation platforms, and I have nothing but respect for this decision. We all know how big this franchise is, Xbox could’ve restricted it, but it didn’t. And I believe Sony needs to respond appropriately. It needs to release more multi-platform online games and keep Xbox in those plans.