Helldivers 2 has been an instant success for PlayStation and developer Arrowhead. The game has become PlayStation Studios’ most successful launch on Steam, and has surpassed 1 million in sales.
One area that players appreciate with the game is the fact it’s not a pay-to-win experience, something that a number of studios have fallen into over the years. While you can spend real money for in-game credits or on the game’s battle pass, everything that can be unlocked in the game can be done in-game without spending any money.
In a post on Twitter, Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt said that his belief wasn’t to just monetize everything you can unlock in the game.
“‘You have to earn the right to monetize’ – I truly believe that,” he said. “If people want to support this title they have an option, but we are never forcing anyone to do so.”
With Helldivers 2 being a $40 premium game, many players are sure to skip the option of spending real money on anything else within the game. Even if they do, however, none of it will result in pay-to-win.
“I’m partial but we really applied ourselves to not make it p2w even though items are functionally different,” Pilestedt said. “The only item that’s p2w is the revolver – which will win you any “cool gun” competition. Only (minor) problem is that it’s not that good.”
What do you think about how Helldivers 2 handles the Battle Pass and real-money purchases, and the comments from the developer’s CEO? For more Insider Gaming
