A lot of PlayStation fans have expressed discontentment over Sony's recent decision to bring Helldivers 2 to the gaming giant's key rival, Xbox. This subset of enthusiasts believes that porting Helldivers 2 to Series X/S might just end up being PlayStation's first step into embracing a multiplatform strategy in the same vein as Xbox.
Sony's penchant for game exclusivity is a tale as old as time. Historically, PlayStation first-party games would be found nowhere but on PlayStation systems, a strategy that allowed Sony to rack up immense amounts of success in every console generation. However, Sony's grip on exclusivity has loosened in recent years, as the platform holder started porting PlayStation first-party games to PC in 2020 and remains committed to the initiative. Sony has even begun licensing some of its older IPs to third-party studios to develop multiplatform ports - like Patapon and Everybody's Golf: Hot Shots - both of which are coming to Nintendo Switch.
Helldivers 2 on Xbox Confirms Major Feature
Helldivers 2 confirms that a feature available to PC and PS5 users will also be included in the upcoming Xbox Series X/S port at launch.
One would've noticed by now, though, that Xbox has been absent from Sony's plans to make PlayStation games more widely available, which isn't too surprising given the long-running rivalry between both console platforms. However, July 3, 2025, marked a major moment in PlayStation history, as Helldivers 2 was confirmed to launch on Xbox Series X/S that day. The announcement came as a total shock to Xbox and PlayStation fans alike, but while the former group is celebrating the news, a subset of the latter finds itself disillusioned with Sony. Across social media and online forums, many PlayStation enthusiasts have expressed outrage against Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox.
Some Fans Believe Helldivers 2's Xbox Launch Will Damage the PlayStation Brand
PlayStation-centric outlet PushSquare polled over 1,300 users about Helldivers 2's Xbox port, asking whether Sony is diluting the value of its own platform or if more players for the live-service game is a win for everyone. At the time of writing, 44 percent of respondents believe Helldivers 2 launching on Xbox is a good thing, while a lower-but-still-substantial 29 percent believe it's detrimental to the PlayStation brand. The remaining 26 percent were apathetic to the same. Meanwhile, a lot of fans also took to platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and even the comments section of PlayStation Blog to complain, opining that Sony will likely head down the same multiplatform path as Xbox has over the past year and a half.
Up Until Now, Sony Didn't Voluntarily Bring a PlayStation Game to Xbox
There is some merit behind this theory, because while a few PlayStation games have shown up on Xbox in the past - MLB The Show 21 through 25 and Death Stranding: Director's Cut, along with Bungie's upcoming Marathon - these were born from situations outside Sony's direct control. MLB The Show going multiplatform was demanded by MLB itself, Death Stranding: Director's Cut came to Series X/S due to the IP ownership transferring to Hideo Kojima last year, and Marathon will launch on Xbox because Bungie negotiated full freedom for multiplatform releases before being acquired by Sony.
However, Helldivers 2 marks the first instance of Sony voluntarily bringing a PlayStation game to Xbox. The Helldivers IP is fully owned by Sony, and even Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead confirmed last year that porting it to Xbox is entirely up to the PlayStation parent. If this wasn't enough proof, Helldivers 2's Xbox port was developed by Nixxes - Sony's in-house porting team - and the game will be published by PlayStation Publishing on Series X/S. Therefore, Helldivers 2 making it to Xbox is clearly an intentional move on Sony's part, and it should be interesting to see how the gaming giant addresses this decision in the future.
Helldivers 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
