Helldivers 2's recent "Escalation of Freedom" update has revitalized its player base, leading to a significant increase in concurrent players on Steam. Let's delve into the details of this update and its impact.

Helldivers 2 Sees a Resurgence

Player Count Soars After Major Update

The Escalation of Freedom update has doubled Helldivers 2's concurrent player count within a day, jumping from an average of 30,000 to a peak of 62,819. This dramatic increase is largely attributed to the update's substantial content additions.

The update introduces formidable new enemies (Impaler and Rocket Tank), a challenging "Super Helldive" difficulty, expanded outposts with enhanced rewards, new missions and objectives, anti-griefing measures, and general quality-of-life improvements. The launch of the Warbond battle pass on August 8th further contributes to the renewed player engagement.

Mixed Reception Despite Popularity

Despite the positive player surge, the update has also received some negative feedback. Increased difficulty stemming from weapon nerfs and enemy buffs has been criticized by some players, while others report game-breaking bugs and crashes. While the game maintains a "Mostly Positive" Steam rating, this isn't the first time it's faced criticism.

Previous Player Count Decline Explained

Prior to the update, Helldivers 2 enjoyed a consistent average of 30,000 concurrent Steam players (excluding PS5 players), a strong number for a live-service game. However, this was a significant drop from its initial peak of 458,709 concurrent players.

This decline was primarily caused by a mandatory Steam account linking requirement to PlayStation Network imposed by Sony in May, effectively locking out players from 177 countries without PSN access. While Sony later reversed this decision, the access issue for these regions remains unresolved, as confirmed by Arrowhead Game Studios' CEO, Johan Pilestedt. Efforts to restore access are ongoing, but the problem persists three months later. For more information on Pilestedt's statements and the resulting player backlash, please refer to the linked article.