Helldivers 2may not be my favourite game of 2024 , but it is the game that near represents this year for the video game diligence . An experimental springy service game from Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony , this co - op shooter proudly burst on the setting in February and was ineluctable for month . Helldivers 2is one of thehighest - sell games of 2024 , and according toSteamDB , it systematically hits concurrent player count peaks of well over 20,000 daily on microcomputer alone .
Its winner is a choice example of why the video game industry is comprehend bouncy service television games and how creative thinking and freshness still play significant roles in the succeeder of a game . That said , this class has also been a rocky one for the industry . Woes that bothHelldivers 2and Sony Interactive Entertainment have faced exhibit the vituperation all games have to dispense with and how companies wo n’t find tranquil sailing just because their live religious service game are n’t immediate golden geese .
For that reason , Helldivers 2will be the game I most closely associate with 2024 going forrader , even if I bask titles likeAstro BotandBalatromore .
The good of Helldivers 2 in 2024
The manufacture ’s obsession with live service video games did not stop in 2024 . game likeFortnitehave continued to prosper , and the winner ofHelldivers 2demonstrates that there ’s still space for raw live service video game to break in and become monolithic hits . When you could share the joy of playing games with others , more and more the great unwashed will likely be drawn into giving the secret plan a guess . get under one’s skin participant to buy in to a new live service secret plan is the hardest step , and all the viralHelldivers 2clips and videos on X and TikTok did the convincing for zillion .
Once players check the plot out for the first meter , Helldivers 2quickly gets its hooks in them . It not only does it through its battle pass - likeWarbondsbut via in - game meta progression that made the game ’s whole community of interests of player sense like they were working together to accomplish shared goals . Helldivers 2elicited a degree of part - performing and investment that ’s rare to get nowadays , and that ’s part of why it has stayed endearing all class long .
I ’m grateful thatHelldivers2 shows that game can still be successful by being innovational . The meta - advance I cite andHelldivers 2’spenchant for pandemonium — thanks to its tough difficulty , favorable fire , and more — led to lots of memorable emergent minute . This biz render something that could not be found elsewhere , and that should not be discounted when discussing why it resonate with so many multitude this year .
I think many of 2024 ’s honorable game embrace originality . Astro Botwasn’t afraid to experiment with different gameplay whatchamacallum in each novel grade , Balatrois a genius compounding of poker and roguelikes , andUFO 50is the kind ofretro tribute artistry pieceyou do n’t get from developers who are n’t willing to take danger . Somehow , Helldivers 2is a prime deterrent example of how live service games and data-based title define gaming in 2024 .
The bad of Helldivers 2 in 2024
WhileHelldivers 2does spotlight a lot of the positives in gaming , it was also a centerpiece of some controversies . The shooter got caught up in a gambling cultivation war thanks to some histrion not fully compass the satirical nature of its fascist universe . At other times , hate was cast to the game because of its developer and newspaper publisher ’s decisiveness . Throughout the year , Arrowhead has invariably had to respond to participant ire toward weapon balance and other changes in updates , but one tilt take the cake .
In May , Sony tried to forceHelldivers 2players on PC tolink a PlayStation connection account , a move that would block access in some countries and anger role player who gotHelldivers 2on Steam because they did n’t want to dispense with Sony ’s account systems and DRM . This lead to a reappraisal - bombardment campaign and a reach toHelldivers 2’ssqueaky - unobjectionable report that it never quite recovered from . It ’s a monitor that live service games are n’t infallible and that keep positive preaching around alive military service hit is a fickle effort .
We ’re picture the industry put its resource into live service games more and more . And 2024 establish just how bad that move is with flops likeSuicide Squad : vote down the Justice LeagueandXDefiant . WhileHelldivers 2is a success story in that space this year , its post - launch problem also highlight how live service games are a giant for any developer or newspaper publisher to manage once they ’re out in the wild and embraced by players .
Arrowhead and Sony have been able to treat the contention , but studio likeConcord’sFirewalkandXDefiant’sUbisoft San Francisco were n’t so golden . I ’m worried about an industriousness that mainly focuses on tentpole AAA lively inspection and repair biz , with everyone thinking they will make the nextHelldviers 2when some are actually work out on the nextConcord .
Like it or not , Helldivers 2is emblematic of where the video secret plan diligence is in 2024 . While there are flock of positives to glean from that , there are some admonition signs that I trust the industriousness speedily sees and respect .
