PlayStation has built up a phenomenal reputation over its 30 years in gaming. It has helped usher in many flagship IP’s we know and love alongside it’s incredible innovations within the industry. Most recently, the PlayStation brand has been synonymous with high budget, first-party titles like Santa Monica’s God of War franchise and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us (and Uncharted series).
Most of these games are long-term endeavors that are by no means cheap to make. While this has been a huge part of what has made them so successful, it also poses a level of stagnation and predictability to their overall strategy. Helldivers 2 however, has come along and proven that a deviation from Sony’s typical strategy may be the key to maintaining and boosting their overall success.
Helldivers 2 has seen a phenomenal response for such a short time on the market. The intense multiplayer shooter developed by Arrowhead Game Studios was made with a lower budget than a typical PlayStation title, but that hasn’t slowed it down by any means. When it was first announced by Sony that they were looking into putting a larger focus into multiplayer titles it was met with skepticism. But if this is any indication of what is to come, then that skepticism quickly falls by the wayside.
Helldivers 2 rightfully sets a new bar of high expectations for smaller titles. It breaks the mold of the expected $70 release featuring a cinematic third-person action-adventure game. Helldivers 2 also proves that these smaller titles can work when they are handled with care. It has many traits and qualities that should help Sony create similar success if they are to follow in its footsteps with some of their other franchises.
First off, this title is $40 brand new. It’s a fantastic entry point that makes convincing your friends to join in on the chaos much easier. This combined with its simultaneous PC release meant that they were able to keep the conversation about PlayStation in the console space but not limit themselves in terms of player base. Another interesting thing Helldivers 2 has done compared to other online games is that they weren’t advertising themselves as the next big thing. Too many multiplayer games are announced with 10-year plans and grandiose promises for players that they are never able to keep. Helldivers 2 has certainly responded to its success with the promise of ongoing content, but not in a way that expects you to dedicate all your time to grinding out their game.
The most important takeaway from Helldivers 2 though is the amazing player response to it, regardless of its budget. It doesn’t matter to fans that it isn’t a single-player experience or a part of a recognizable IP, it is good on its own merits and that’s simply enough. This is exactly why Sony should be taking notes on Helldivers 2, because they can apply many of the lessons learned here to many of their other titles. While their current strategy is undoubtably working, shifting to a focus on smaller titles could be huge for them in multiple different ways.
A common complaint we see is the long wait in between mainline games of PlayStation’s most popular franchises. Smaller titles can help to alleviate those issues by giving fans something to look forward to in between the larger more fleshed out titles. We have already seen Insomniac do just this with the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. A title released in-between mainline Spider-Man games that provided additional story to the main games, was developed and released much quicker than the original, and helped make the wait for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that much easier to bare.
As it stands today, the current wait time between mainline PlayStation games is about five years. Mid-budget releases work in PlayStation’s favor for a number of reasons. They can be made using a lot of the same assets from the mainline titles reducing development time. They allow the developers to branch out and experiment within the worlds they have created to help them iterate for the sequels that have yet to release. It could even help them create new IP’s with a reduced financial risk if it doesn’t pan out. Testing the waters first with a mid-budget title before fully investing to gauge whether or not it is something fans would even respond too.
Days Gone by Bend Studio is a great example of this. While the game was good in many respects, it did not see the success that Sony wanted. Perhaps focusing down the size and scope of the project would have allowed them to release it with a lower price point to attract more potential buyers and avoid the all-or-nothing mentality that came with its lack of success. On the opposite end, we have Helldivers. The first entry was perfect for laying the groundwork so the team at Arrowhead Game Studios could iterate for the sequel. Helldivers 2, despite it’s smaller budget, has been immensely popular among gamers and shows that these types of games still have an important role to play in PlayStations portfolio.
While PlayStation has made a name for itself through high-quality first-party titles, there is no reason they should restrict themselves to that definition. Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Dreams are both fantastic examples of some lower budget games that are phenomenal in their own respects and achieved what they set out to accomplish. Even the recently released Valhalla DLC for God of War Ragnarök is so good it could have been released as its own standalone title. Sony certainly has the power and the know-how to create these bite-sized titles and make them enjoyable, it is just a matter of giving their studios the greenlight to do so. Also, this could help pave the way for revivals as well, since the budget and the investment will be smaller than a full-fledged AAA game.
While it is great to see old IP’s get remade from the ground up like Capcom has done with the Resident Evil franchise, it isn’t always realistic. Remakes of that magnitude are incredibly costly, require a ton of work, and can be a gamble of whether the IP still has the power to draw in old and new fans alike. I am sure there are many Twisted Metal, Warhawk, or even Ape Escape fans that would kill to see these games again on PlayStation for example. Arguably, the best way to realize this would be for PlayStation to revisit these IP’s with a mid-budget mentality. You can maintain the high-quality feel of a PlayStation exclusive by shortening the overall experience and focusing it down to its best elements.
Giving developers the chance to work on reviving some of these classics without the pressure of a full blown remake can alleviate a lot the mental and financial stress these studios face. While you may desperately want a complete re-imagining of your favorite classic IP the way God of War received, ultimately it is better to see a franchise return in some form than not at all. PlayStation has too many long forgotten franchises and reminding fans they still care about them could prove to be very useful for their brand overall.
Some of the biggest games of the past five years have been titles with passionate developers and little budgets; Among Us, Vampire Survivors, Balatro are all testaments to the big things developers can do, even when working with very little. Similarly, some of PlayStation’s most well received projects have been in the same vein. Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and now, Helldivers 2 have all been huge wins for fans in the community. Let’s also not forget the rumored Venom Project from Insomniac either.
The wait for PlayStation’s next big installment in a franchise can be unbearable; sprinkling in some smaller experiences that helps to diversify PlayStation as a brand is good for everyone. Additionally, this approach empowers Sony to support developers in experimenting with new IPs and genres with moderate budgets, alleviating the pressure to achieve massive sales figures just to break even. In a market currently saturated with big-budget spectacles, smaller titles like Helldivers 2 has the ability to stand out and capture the hearts of gamers seeking a fresh and compelling experience. Ultimately, it’s the creativity and passion poured into a game that truly defines its success, rather than just the size of its budget.