Helldivers 2 has had a rollercoaster of an existence, with an explosive launch that positioned it as one of the early surprises of 2024, to losing a large amount of its player base as the year went along. So it feels very on-brand for the introduction of the game’s first crossover event, which features PlayStation’s Killzone franchise, to cause a backlash from its incredibly vocal community that was resurgent, thanks to its Omens of Tyranny update.
Players felt the pricing of the new premium tier was too much for what was on offer, while adding that it wouldn’t be available for long enough. This new premium tier contained a character skin, a new weapon, player banner, player title, and cape. Players would need to shell out $20 to purchase in-game currency to exchange for all these items. This is in comparison to other content drops that have similar items, called premium Warbonds, which players can purchase for only $10.
The developer, Arrowhead Studios, took to the game’s subreddit to address the community about the controversy. It informed players that it’s taking the feedback to heart, which led to the decision of extending the availability of the items from 5 days to 10 days. While the company isn’t going to lower the price of the current crossover items, it will inform pricing for future drops. Additionally, as an olive branch in the holiday spirit, the next wave of Killzone themed items will be free for all players.
The secret sauce that has enabled Arrowhead Studios to keep Helldivers 2 going in the difficult to operate live service game space, is its ability to quickly respond to player concerns. Hopefully the studio is able to use this event to find a better balance for premium content drops in the future.