Helldivers 2 Steam numbers explode after update, as Arrowhead mounts comeback

For the first few months, Helldivers 2 could do no wrong. Spectacular, funny, and unlike any of its other multiplayer rivals, Arrowhead's shooter only started to wobble around May 2024, when it was first announced that players would have to link their accounts to the Playstation Network. While that stipulation was eventually dropped, the initial damage to Helldivers 2's reputation was already done. Successive balancing updates, which overengineered and flattened out some of the game's most-loved weapons, caused further dismay - from 458,000 concurrent players at launch, just five months later, Helldivers 2 was down to an all-time low of 47,000. But now, thanks to the new Heart of Democracy update, things suddenly look extremely bright.

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