"We wanted to do live service right": With 2.5 million players a week 1.5 years after launch, Helldivers 2 boss says it's down to "great free updates, optional paid, and long-term commitment"

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"I think this is the largest simultaneous return of players for Helldivers"

A Helldiver waves a flag while looking down at a battlefield in a screenshot from Helldivers 2's Masters of Ceremony trailer.
(Image credit: PlayStation Studios / Arrowhead Game Studios)

Helldivers 2 boss Johan Pilestedt is currently celebrating a huge resurgence of players in the game, even if it's because something devastating has happened to Super Earth.

The Helldivers 2 community is devastated at the moment. We failed in holding back the Illuminate, and the sick profanities have invaded our home, Super Earth. If you can get over the disgusting tactics of these awful space zombies, you'll be happy to know the citizens and brave Helldivers of Super Earth have banded together to defend our home, with players flocking back to the game.

Arrowhead studio boss and Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilestedt – seemingly unfazed by this heartbreaking invasion – has taken to Twitter to celebrate just how popular Helldivers 2 is over a year after launch. Pilestedt posted the then-current Helldivers 2 player count of 197,928 and said, "I think this is the largest simultaneous return of players for Helldivers," before praising the team's work on the new update.

Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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