Arrowhead Studios, the developer behind the newly released cooperative shooter Helldivers 2, has adopted a distinctive approach to the game’s live service features and monetization strategy. Unlike many other games in the current market that heavily focus on live service elements, Arrowhead feels their priority is different. According to an interview with PC Gamer, the company’s priority is to provide players with a fulfilling and comprehensive experience at the base price of $40.
According to Arrowhead’s CEO Johan Pilestedt, the main game should provide a complete experience, such as several hours of fun. He stresses that extra content and monetization are of secondary importance and are only introduced after players have had the opportunity to fully experience the main game. Pilestedt’s approach is similar to his modding community background, where creating an enjoyable and comprehensive experience is key.
“We don’t view ourselves—I mean, we view ourselves as a live service game because it’s unfair to say anything else. We are going to continue adding more stuff to the game, and there are monetization elements in the game.”
Johan Pilestedt
So they essentially want to be upfront that there is a way to pay into the game. However, that’s not how you level up or anything close to it. They just want to make sure they’re fair and open about he policy, unlike many other studios. Helldivers 2 offers a $10 “warbond” as its main way to make money. This warbond gives players cosmetic items and weapon variants without giving them an unfair advantage or letting them skip parts of the game. Warbonds don’t expire, and real money can’t speed up progress. This makes the monetization system different from the usual live service models that people often criticize.
More on this: Helldivers 2 Has A Game Master Keeping The Narrative Moving
Despite experiencing server problems at the start, Helldivers 2 has successfully improved its standing. The game now holds a “mostly positive” rating on Steam and continues to be one of the most popular titles on the platform, even three weeks after its release. This favorable reception is probably because the developers focused on delivering a satisfying experience from the beginning while offering players the choice to back the game and unlock extra content later.
The team feels they’ve succeeded so far and aim to continue this ideal. If more companies focused more on the content they were giving rather than just trying to profit from every little bit, we’d see much better games.
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