Helldivers 2 almost became a free-to-play game, revealed Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani in a Discord post, providing a surprising insight into the development history of the shooter.
What was that post about? The topic of the post was actually the technical performance of the game. Many players of Helldivers 2 have been complaining for some time about lags, low FPS, and crashes.
The technical issues are so present that 12,000 players of Helldivers 2 have stated that they do not need new content for the time being. Instead, Arrowhead, the studio behind the shooter, should first focus on improving performance.
Many players could not even enjoy the new expansion “Into the Unjust” at release because their performance was so poor:
Helldivers was originally intended as a free launch title for PS5
What did the head of Arrowhead say about this? In a post on the official Discord server for Helldivers 2, CEO Shams Jorjani attributed the technical difficulties to the development history:
“HD2 started as a AA game, it then grew in scope, then pivoted to a launch title for PS5, then pivoted to f2p, then back to premium (I might have the order messed up)”
Helldivers 2 was supposed to be a launch title for the PS5 and free. However, Sony ultimately changed its mind and made the shooter a premium title for €40. Moreover, the game did not release at the launch of the new console generation but four years later.
Regarding the game’s technology, Jorjani said: “The foundations of this big tower were made for a little bungalow on the beach.” The technical framework was simply not designed for this large scope, and many players are feeling that now.
Jorjani does not specify why Sony abandoned the free-to-play model for Helldivers 2. However, the content would likely have differed fundamentally from what players receive today. “It would have been a completely different angle. It required a completely different content pipeline,” says Jorjani.
The developers are aware of the technical problems that many players are currently experiencing. You can read their response to fan criticism in this article on MeinMMO: “We hear you, we want things to get better” – The developers of Helldivers 2 respond to criticism from fans
