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Three weeks after the game’s release, Arrowhead’s now ex-CEO Johan Pilestedt gave some insight into the development ofHelldivers 2. He talked about the studio’s approach to its monetization and live service model.
Amongst the things that he mentioned was that despite its live service nature, the main goal of the game was to provide a full experience to players for its $40 price tag. But one of his comments regarding the game’s future caught players’ eyes.
Could Pilestedt’s Words Be Hinting At Something?
In his interview withPC Gamer, Pilestedt talked about his vision for the future where continued support for Helldivers 2 could potentially rely on player contribution. He talked about a model where, in the second or third year, new free content would be added with new enemies and missions. And there would also be more optional monetization.
“Not me. It’s all the team”: Arrowhead CEO Refuses to Take Responsibility for New Helldivers 2 Warbond after Disastrous Polar Patriots Fiasco
What Pilestedt said about needing player support in the second, third, and fourth years ofHelldivers 2’s runtime has raised eyebrows. To fans, it might indicate that Arrohead’s plan for the future includes a model where ongoing content is partially funded by players. He said:
If you imagine what’s what’s happening with the game in year two, year three, year four, at that point you need to shift the the model where the content that we put out for free, like new enemies, new missions, whatever it might be, we also give the players the opportunity to support us in continuing to build the title.
There is a possibility that Arrowhead might be pushed by Sony in the future to move towards more aggressive monetization tactics to maximize profits. This is reminiscent of the infamous “pay to win” strategies that some developers like EA for example, have been accused of having in recent times.
CouldHelldivers 2Have Pay-to-Win Monetization in the Future?
Helldivers 2’s monetization model currently only features the $10 ‘Warbonds’. These include extra weapons and cosmetics in the form of outfits and gun recolors, amongst other things. There’s even anew Warbondcoming out in less than a week. The context of the broader gaming industry as a whole is why players are concerned. Gamers have seen beloved franchises adopt aggressive monetization tactics and commit ‘career su*cide.’
“Firstly, we’re slowing down the pace at which we release Warbonds”: Helldivers 2 Devs May Have Finally Gotten the Message as they Promise to Put Quality Over Quantity First
But unlike traditional battle passes, these Warbonds never expire and can’t be progressed faster or fully unlocked immediately by paying more money. Despite Pilestedt’s transparency in his comments, the community still has reason to remain wary. The idea of new weapons, enemies and content being free in the future is definitely exciting, but the possible caveat of player funding shouldn’t be overlooked
Helldivers 2’s popularity is undeniable as the game consistently has an active and vocal community. It also scored a Mostly Positive review score on Steam despite having some server issues during the launch. This success will pressure Arrowhead and Sony to maintain a balance between satisfying their player base and leveraging the game’s success for continued revenue.
While Pilestedt’s concept for Helldivers 2 focuses on offering players a complete and thorough experience, his comments about future monetization raise questions. The game’s community hopes Arrowhead can keep its player-friendly attitude while avoiding the temptations of aggressive marketing.
Daniel Royte
Gaming Writer
Articles Published :1370
As part of the FandomWire team, Daniel has followed the hero-shooter genre closely with a focus on titles like VALORANT, Apex Legends, and Marvel Rivals. You can also find him providing insight on the latest AAA titles from Elden Ring to GTA 6 and exploring the world of gacha games like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves. With more than 1,000 articles under his belt, you’ll need to look no further for a unique insight into every situation.If he’s not looking for the latest video game news, you’ll find him cheering on Ferrari in the race tracks of Formula 1 or at the theatres for the latest MCU releases.
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Helldivers 2Johan PilestedtLive Service
