Phil Spencer Addresses Lack of Helldivers 2 on Xbox

Phil Spencer Addresses Lack of Helldivers 2 on Xbox

• Xbox’s Phil Spencer questions the benefits of Helldivers 2’s exclusivity, suggesting Sony could grow the brand by releasing it on Xbox.
• Four Xbox exclusives, including Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded, are expected to be going multi-platform in the future.
• Spencer predicts that the concept of exclusivity will eventually die out as multi-platform live-service games become more prevalent.

Following the launch of the popular Helldivers 2, Microsoft Gaming’s Phil Spencer has addressed its PlayStation and PC exclusivity by saying he’s “not exactly sure who it helps.” The Helldivers 2 comment comes after recent news that a handful of Xbox exclusives will be making the jump to competing platforms.

During a recent presentation, Spencer and other Xbox executives confirmed that four Xbox exclusives will be going multi-platform in the future. They did not specify which games these will be, but insiders claim that Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded make up the list. Rumors regarding Xbox exclusives going multi-platform had spread for months leading up to the announcement, and some even claimed that flagship games like Halo, Starfield, and others would be included in the new strategy. While it’s been confirmed that this isn’t the case, the recent announcement still marks a reformed approach for Xbox, which Spencer emphasized in a recent interview.

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During an interview with Game File, Spencer brought up Helldivers 2’s exclusivity by saying, “I’m not exactly sure who it helps in the industry by not being on Xbox. If you try to twist yourself to say, like, somehow that benefited somebody somewhere.” Spencer seems to be suggesting that Sony could be growing the Helldivers brand much more effectively if it released the game for Xbox’s large player base. However, Spencer also empathized with Sony’s decision by further stating, “But I get it. There’s a legacy in console gaming that we’re going to benefit by shipping games and not putting them on other places. We do the same thing.” While exclusivity is still alive and well within gaming, Spencer commented during Xbox’s recent presentation that the concept will likely begin to die out within the next decade as multi-platform live-service games become increasingly prevalent.

Helldivers 2 Has Soared to Impressive Heights

While Helldivers 2 probably won’t benefit from Spencer’s vision for the future of exclusivity, it’s doing pretty well on its own. The game is Steam’s global top-selling game at the time of writing and smashed Sony’s Steam record by becoming the publisher’s highest-played game ever on the platform. And Helldivers 2’s popularity is still accelerating, as it just hit its peak player count on Steam yesterday, on February 15, after reaching over 255,000 concurrent users.

The near-instant success of the third-person shooter is made more impressive by the fact that Helldivers 2 launched with some major issues. The game’s highly entertaining gameplay, in addition to Arrowhead Game Studio’s post-launch patches, has propelled the game to impressive heights.

Helldivers 2 released its newest patch earlier today, on February 16, which further improved crashing issues and server optimization. Arrowhead previously announced that it’s working on a reward-heavy event to help make up for the game’s initial problems.

Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 is a third-person cooperative shooter developed by Arrowhead Games Studios for the PC and PlayStation 5 where players take control of a Helldiver set to protect the citizens of Super Earth by traveling to hostile alien worlds and destroying threats. Players undergo missions, defeat enemies, and use special items called Stratagems to help turn the tide of battle in this punishing release.

FranchiseHelldiversPlatform(s)PlayStation 5, PCReleasedFebruary 8, 2024Developer(s)Arrowhead Game Studios ABGenre(s)Shooter See at AmazonSee at Playstation StoreSee at Steam