According to Sony, Helldivers 2 sold an impressive 12 million copies within its first 12 weeks of availability, surpassing the record previously held by God of War Ragnarök, which sold 11 million copies during the same period following its 2022 release. Sony remarked that the sales of Helldivers 2 “far exceeded expectations.”
Unusually for Sony, Helldivers 2 was launched simultaneously on both PS5 and PC via Steam, priced at $39.99 — lower than most first-party releases from PlayStation Studios, Sony’s development and publishing division, which are typically priced at $59.99 or more. Moreover, Sony generally delays PC releases by at least a year.
Steam played a significant role in the game’s success. Sales analyst Mat Piscatella highlighted that roughly 60% of the game’s launch month sales originated from Steam, and only recently did it drop out of the top 10 most-played games on the platform. Sony noted, “The game has become our biggest PC hit title to date, and as a multi-platform title, it also greatly contributed to last quarter’s sales and profit.”
Unsurprisingly, Sony plans to release all future live-service games simultaneously on PlayStation and Steam. However, the same decision has not yet been made for flagship first-party single-player titles in franchises such as Marvel’s Spider-Man, The Last of Us, and God of War — games considered critical system-sellers for PlayStation consoles and currently maintained as platform exclusives. The success of Helldivers 2 will likely spark ongoing discussions within Sony regarding the potential benefits and drawbacks of this policy.
As announced in the Sony earnings call, we have sold over 12M units!
It's crazy to think that there are more Helldivers than there are Swedes 🤯
What a massive achievement from everyone involved in realizing @Helldivers2. A massive thank you to the community for your support,…
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 14, 2024
Sony’s expansion into multiplatform publishing with Helldivers 2 has encountered some challenges. The company faced significant backlash when it attempted to reintroduce a previously discarded requirement for Steam players to link their PlayStation Network accounts. Due to the widespread disapproval, Sony ultimately abandoned the policy.
In other updates from Sony’s financial report, it was disclosed that PS5 console sales have reached 59 million units, closely trailing the 60 million PS4 units sold over a comparable timeframe post-launch. The company anticipates that PS5 sales have reached their zenith and will experience annual declines moving forward. Overall, the financial outlook for PlayStation remains positive, with a 17% increase in sales compared to the previous fiscal year. However, Sony projects a decrease in the upcoming year due to a lack of major exclusive titles to fuel sales growth.
Moreover, Sony has announced a leadership change at Sony Interactive Entertainment, the division overseeing the PlayStation business. Jim Ryan will be succeeded by two individuals: Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino. Hulst, the former head of Guerrilla Games and current leader of PlayStation Studios, will assume the role of CEO of the newly established Studio Business Group, overseeing game development, publishing, and licensing for TV and film. Nishino will take on the CEO position of the Platform Business Group, responsible for console hardware, services like PlayStation Network, sales and marketing, and third-party relations. Both will report to Hiroki Totoki, the current interim CEO and board chairman.
Despite appearances that not much has changed, Totoki, who is believed to have orchestrated recent PlayStation layoffs (despite Ryan’s sign-off), is effectively redistributing responsibilities while maintaining significant influence over the operations.
