Helldivers 2 hasn’t had a moment out of the spotlight since it launched in early February, and it now looks like 2024’s breakout release has sold a mind-blowing amount of copies less than two months since launch.
It’s no surprise that Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 has been going gangbusters since it hit the ground running, given echoes of calls for Managed Democracy continue to ricochet around online gaming spaces even still (a feat for a live service title in the current saturated market). From server capacity issues due to the sheer amount of players wanting to demolish some bugs in the name of Super Earth to a worldwide galactic war effort, the title has taken players by storm. And now, based on analyst’s estimations, it’s also sold a whole heap of units.
According to TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz (via Bloomberg), Helldivers 2 is estimated to have sold more than 8 million copies. This number is also continuing to rise each week. “We believe the game has performed well ahead of expectations,” Creutz wrote in a note late last week.
The shooter boasts a massive concurrent player peak on PC (according to SteamDB) of over 458,000 players, with a current 24 hour peak of 378,370. These numbers are for PC alone, so the combined war efforts of Helldivers on both platforms is likely much, much larger. At the time of writing, only Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 (titles with major legacies and player bases behind them) are beating Helldivers 2 for concurrent player counts. It’s a massive feat for a game with almost nine years between drinks.
The estimated sales figures are – of course – only estimates, given that Sony, PlayStation, and Arrowhead have yet to officially confirm sales numbers for the title. Given the waves the co-op third-person shooter has been making though, it seems pretty likely that Creutz is close to being on the money here. Even on local shores, IGEA recently reported that in late February, Helldivers 2 outsold Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in Australian and New Zealand retail sales.
With Arrowhead’s active engagement with the player community via X (formerly Twitter) and Discord, the ever-changing war effort managed by Just One Guy, and the introduction of new threats and mechs, it doesn’t look like Helldivers 2 is slowing down any time soon. It’s hard to distinguish exactly what aspect of the game has drawn players in so heavily into a short summary. Maybe it’s the satirical tone of the game, the crunchy gameplay, the constant updates, or the joys of your teammates copping a friendly fire Strategem. But, whatever has people hooked, it’s clearly working on a grand scale.
Have you been playing Helldivers 2 recently? Let us know what you’re enjoying most in the comments.
Image: Arrowhead Game Studios
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