Helldivers 2 pits a team of players against swarms of giant insect-like creatures across a range of different planets
By Tom Richardson
BBC Newsbeat
The developer behind smash-hit Helldivers 2 has advised fans not to spend their “last dollar” on the game.
Arrowhead Studios’ online shooter has been a runaway success since it launched on 8 February, breaking player records for publisher Sony.
But the unexpected popularity has put a strain on the game’s servers, with many struggling to log on.
That hasn’t stopped sales, but Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt has said: “If you have no cash, get it later.”
In Helldivers 2, you’re a member of a team of soldiers dropped on to an alien planet and tasked with surviving attacks from waves of giant, insect-like creatures.
The game released to rave reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay and its references to 90s sci-fi satire Starship Troopers.
It’s been an especially big hit with PC gamers, easily beating records set by previous PlayStation Studios titles such as God of War.
Despite server problems – with fans left waiting in long queues to start matches – the buzz around the game has been huge.
And when one gamer urged others to stop “hyping up” Helldivers 2 because he had “no money” to buy the £35 ($40) title, Arrowhead boss Johan had some advice.
“While we made a really fun game it’s worth waiting until the servers can support the capacity,” he replied.
“I mean, as a CEO I of course want the game to be as profitable as possible, but if you spent [your] last $ and got stuck in server queues I’d be heartbroken.”
Arrowhead has admitted that it’s “struggling to keep up” with the demand for the game, and on Monday limited the number of players allowed at once to 450,000.
The company says it’s working around the clock to boost capacity and iron out issues as soon as possible.
Helldivers 2’s success follows the surprising rise of Palworld – aka “Pokemon with guns” – which debuted to massive demand last month.
The developers of that game have now turned their attention to catching cheats after player counts settled down.
