Johan Pilestedt, Arrowhead Game Studios' CEO and the mind behind the creative direction of Helldivers 2, has shared some enlightening details around their monetization approach. In a Twitter engagement recently noted by PCGamesN, Pilestedt offered a response to a suggestion that that their title could be seen as a ‘pay-to-win’ game.
For those who are not aware, Helldivers 2 is a recently released third-person shooter game set in a futuristic universe. Players embody zealous space marines fighting against alien troops across the cosmos, embarking on adventures on massive planets alone or as a team, and facing floods of opponents while achieving complex tasks. Super Credits, rewards earned from completing selected extra tasks, can be used for enhancing arsenals, armor, and more. These can also be directly purchased using real currency, resulting in concerns that players with more financial resources could gain an undue advantage.
Pilestedt responded on Twitter addressing these issues replying with his stance, underlining that besides one item, the revolver, no efforts have been made to make Helldivers 2 a pay-to-win game. He further elaborated on his personal notion of monetization, stating that the right to monetize something must be earned and players willing to support the game have the option, but it's never mandatory.
This distinctive approach appears quite fair, especially when contrasted with the pricing in other titles like Foamstars, another recent third-person shooter. Cosmetic packs in Foamstars can lead up to costs that are often greater than the total retail price of Helldivers 2. However, the lasting impact of any form of monetization on player engagement, particularly for Helldivers 2, remains to be seen.
