GamesThird Person ShooterHelldivers 2Helldivers 2 is undoubtedly 2024’s biggest success – and major studios should be taking notesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesThird Person ShooterHelldivers 2Helldivers 2 is undoubtedly 2024’s biggest success – and major studios should be taking notesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Arrowhead Studios)
Finding official numbers onHelldivers 2’s budget is not easy - it almost never is when it comes to video game developments - butconservative industry estimatesput it somewhere between 50 million and 100 million dollars across an 8 year development period. Sounds like a lot, but for context, Skull and Bones cost anywhere betweentwo and sixteen times that number, depending on who you ask, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguelost Warner Bros at least 200 mil, and the brief appearance ofConcord would cost Sony more than 200 million - possibly a lot more.
It’s a success story few could mimic and most would envy, and the fact that its budget wasn’t particularly remarkable is a good reason for larger businesses to sit up and take notice. Mainstream gaming is getting bigger and more bloated in terms of the costs involved, but it’s not like the games are flourishing as a result - 2024 was full of high profile failures on both the critical and commercial side, each one of which nonetheless seemed to have the financing of a middling-sized city. In its humility, Helldivers 2 provides a lesson to be learned from.
“A game for everybody…
(Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Super-game(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)Helldivers 2 review: “A fiercely challenging and visually breathtaking cooperative shooter”
Super-game
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)Helldivers 2 review: “A fiercely challenging and visually breathtaking cooperative shooter”
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)
Helldivers 2 review: “A fiercely challenging and visually breathtaking cooperative shooter”
… Is a game for nobody.” That’s literally the motto of Arrowhead, something that stood out to me when I first saw it in Helldivers 2’s first week, and frankly it feels even more significant in hindsight. The idea might sound glib or even a little snooty at first glance, but you can’t argue with results. The studio absolutely committed to the gimmick of a Starship Troopers homage mechanically somewhere between Halo and Max Payne, and didn’t compromise an inch along the way.
And people loved it. Yes, it’s become a little more fashionable to hate on Helldivers 2 after it lost that initial momentum, but it was clearly impossible to sustain that energy forever and it’s easy to forget how glorious those first few months were. It was also clear that Arrowhead had a very specific vision in mind, a moment-to-moment vision built on diving through explosions and screaming your way to victory in seemingly unwinnable scenarios. And every part of the game – from the movement to the weaponry to the music - is built on doubling down on that idea at the expense of all others.
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(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)
For years now, big-budget games have been running towards the middle of the road
For years now, big-budget games have been running towards the middle of the road
This is where it might be illustrative to compare against another of 2024’s sci-fi outings –Star Wars Outlaws. In Outlaws, you can explore worlds, drive speeders, shoot stormtroopers, engage in stealth, fight monsters, play cards, pick locks, solve puzzles, fly spaceships, engage in parkour, look for collectibles, hack computers, bet on alien horse racing, smuggle, craft, customise, juggle faction allegiance, develop RPG skills, and that’s not even a comprehensive list.
It’s plenty more than HD2, and yet… it somehow feels like less. Spread thin across all these elements, Outlaws felt diluted in precisely the way Helldivers 2 isn’t, and even if there’s an aspect of it you really like, it’ll struggle to breathe among all the other qualities – every one of which came with its own high development costs.
For years now, big-budget games have been running towards the middle of the road and take refuge in already-proven concepts. They’re too expensive to allow for risk, too expensive to sell anything less than a bajillion copies, too expensive to engage with novel ideas that might be polarising and reduce sales. As they get more pricey they have more to lose, so they get more risk-averse, but ironically that’s what’s so dangerous to their survival. Their constant mimicry and creative caution is leavingless of an impact on audiences and makes these games feel inessential. Suicide Squad, Concord, Outlaws - these were all following proven trends that were already overexposed to the point of meaninglessness.
Meanwhile, Helldivers 2 took a smaller cash supply and put it into something as pointed and focused as a laser beam. It even managed to engage with the boogieman of political satire without drawing too much ire, an impressive feat in its own right. And whaddaya know! A mid-range budget meant it could afford to get a little creative and risky, and it paid off in a big way. Spending less, while achieving greater profits and acclaim. What publisher could object to that?
Maybe you can already tell where Helldivers 2 landed on ourbest games of 2024ranking
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CATEGORIES
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
1
Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”