Everyone already knowsHelldivers 2has been a smash success for publisher Sony, but there were never any hard sales figures for it. Now, Sony itself has confirmed the game has pushed over 12 million units across PlayStation 5 and PC, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation launch of all time.
Sony shared this during a webcast to discuss its financial results for the company’s fiscal year ending in March 2024 (viaVGC). It describedHelldivers 2‘s sales as “far exceeding expectations,” having sold 12 million units in its first 12 weeks. That means, on average, it was selling a million copies every week since its February 8 launch.
This is extra impressive when you rememberSpider-Man 2, the big-budget PS5 exclusive starring one of the most popular superheroes in the world, onlypassed the 10 million sales mark this February, four months after its launch. Not only that, but the previous record holder for fastest-selling PlayStation game wasGod of War Ragnarök, which sold 11 million copies in 10 weeks.
WhileHelldivers 2‘s success was obvious even without exact figures (it wasthe UK’s best-selling game two months in a row), it’s nice to actually put a number to it. As for how it achieved such a record, there’s no doubt multiple contributing factors. For starters,Helldivers 2launching on PS5 and PC the same day would have helped simply because it allowed more people to play it than if it had been PS5 only. Not to mention it quickly fostered a dedicated community of players and a strong social media presence, which combined would’ve helped to attract new players who otherwise may have missed out on it.
Furthermore, Helldivers 2 is simply much cheaper than the likes ofSpider-Man 2andGod of War Ragnarök. Whereas those games were sold at $70 / £70,Helldivers 2is a far more affordable $40 / £35. Plus,Helldivers 2is enjoying continuous updates whilstSpider-Man 2andGod of War Ragnarökare one and done single-player adventures. $40 for a game that’s frequently adding new content is arguably far more enticing than a $70 game you can complete from start to finish in a month or two.
Sony will most likely want to keep supportingHelldivers 2in the long-term, though it’s already demonstrated that it’s quite easy to kneecap the game’s popularity. The decision toforce everyone to get a PlayStation account for the game, which would’ve resulted in it becoming unplayable in multiple countries, almost felt like the end-times forHelldivers 2and would’ve culled its player basehad Sony not pulled a U-turn. Going forward, Sony may be more careful with how it handlesHelldivers 2. After all, it’s a golden goose for the company right now, and the last thing it will want to do is squander it.
