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  1. Games
  2. Third Person Shooters
  3. Helldivers 2

"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"

News
By Scott McCrae
Published 21 May 2025

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

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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)
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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.

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Later, a fan pointed out that Helldivers 2 had returned to the top 10 games on Steam, to which Pilestedt replied, "Remember when I said we wanted to do live service right?" before affirming the approach of "great free updates, optional paid, and long-term commitment." The Helldivers 2 boss then revealed, "Around 2.5 million Helldivers playing the game every week," adding, "super excited to see how many more log in with this update!"

At least someone is feeling okay, but I don't know how you could when Super Earth is under attack right now.

If you'd like to join the fight to defend Super Earth, check out our best Helldivers 2 weapons tier list.

You may like
  • A screenshot of a Helldiver pointing to the camera in the Helldivers 2 Super Earth Escapes video. Helldivers 2 patch overhauls Major Orders with Galactic Campaigns, adds new biome, and more
  • Helldivers 2 soldier watches a nuclear explosion in the distance with his arms stretched wide Next Helldivers 2 Warbond "needs more time to cook," Arrowhead says, so it's getting delayed
  • A teddy bear flies towards a void in the Helldivers 2 Face the Unknown teaser trailer. Helldivers 2 trailer might tease an Illuminate battle, but Warhammer fans think it's Chaos Gods
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Scott McCrae
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Scott has been freelancing for over four 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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