Helldivers 2 is making a significant shift by ending its exclusivity on the PlayStation 5 and will be available on Xbox Series X/S starting August 26. Fans have long advocated for the popular extraction shooter to be released on multiple platforms, and in an unexpected announcement, the Sony-published title will be fulfilling that demand. This move marks another significant step in the diminishing landscape of console exclusivity, following similar transitions like MLB The Show.
During a surprise livestream on Thursday, Arrowhead Game Studios’ chief creative officer, Johan Pilestedt, expressed excitement over the expansion: “You asked for more dudes, we’re sending more dudes. For one-and-a-half years you’ve been fighting the enemies of democracy, and one of the requests that you’ve always had is for us to send more dudes, and the best way for us to be able to do that is to bring another platform into the fight.”
The game will retail for $40 on its release date, making it the first significant title to break from Sony’s exclusive lineup since Microsoft began porting notable first-party titles such as Sea of Thieves to PlayStation. Coincidentally, this release date also sees the arrival of Gears of War: Reloaded on the PS5, indicating a shift as Microsoft increasingly functions as a third-party publisher.
Launching 18 months after its initial release, Helldivers 2 will offer a wealth of content for Xbox players to explore. However, they will miss out on key in-game events, such as last month’s efforts to fend off an invasion on the game’s fictional Super Earth. It seems likely that Arrowhead has exciting plans in store to engage the new influx of players, continuing its expansive Galactic War campaign that resembles a Dungeons & Dragons experience.
