As has been well-documented around here, Helldivers 2 is a lot of fun. It's been a while since we've had a horde shooter that was just a pure, undiluted good time, publisher meddling aside. Sony has since backed off, though, making Helldivers 2 the best democracy simulator simulator money can buy… as long as you're on PC or PS5, that is.
Evidently, however, Sony has grown tired of not having all the money in the world, and perhaps in a response to Xbox's Gears franchise making the console jump, is bringing Helldivers 2 to Xbox at long last.
This announcement came via a Helldivers announcement stream. Arrowhead's hit third-person shooter will have full crossplay with both PC and PlayStation. Those interested can pre-order the game on the Xbox store for £34.99 now.
It's also the first ever Sony-published game on Xbox platforms, which is certainly a massive milestone in the ongoing rivalry between the two companies (Sony's baseball series MLB The Show is published by MLB on Xbox). Sony previously expressed interest in bringing its big games to more platforms, with this Helldivers 2 port acting as the first big sign of this shift in strategy.
Said game director Mikael Eriksson on Xbox Wire: "We know gamers have been asking for this for some time and we are so excited to bring more Helldivers into our game. We have so much more in store for the future months and years – and the more players we have the more stories we can tell! The fight for Super Earth has only just begun."
Regardless of your feelings on the "console wars", a term that has lost nearly all of its meaning as Xbox pivots away from consoles entirely, any Helldiver worth their cape will be overjoyed about a fresh wave of reinforcements.
Previously:
• Helldivers 2 is a lot of fun
• Helldivers 2's new enemy revealed: Sony
• How Helldivers 2 became more about the developer than the game
• Helldivers but with the Penguins of Madagascar