Helldivers 2, the PlayStation-published game from Arrowhead Game Studios, was arguably one of the most surprising hits of 2024. The PvE cooperative third-person shooter quickly climbed up the sales charts and sold over 15 million copies in about 9 months. In a year that was dominated by single-player blockbusters likeBlack Myth: Wukong,Astro Bot, andFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,Helldivers 2stood out due to its simplicity, and it reminded players of the joys of co-op multiplayer, even with reduced platform accessibility.
Arrowhead Game Studios is technically an independent developer, but since theHelldiversIP is owned by Sony,Helldivers 2is currently a PlayStation 5 and PC exclusive. This isn’t going to be the case for long, however, as it was announced earlier this week thatHelldivers 2will be coming to Xbox Series X/Sthis August. For the company to port such a successful game to a rival platform is unprecedented, to say the least. If Sony’s experiment pays off, then the company may begin to adopt some of the elements of Microsoft’s multi-platform business strategy.
Helldivers 2 on Xbox Could Be the Start of a New Multi-Platform Era for Sony
Microsoft’s New Multi-Platform Strategy Has Been Very Successful So Far
A few years ago, Microsoft was one of PlayStation’s fiercest competitors. However, in the last couple of months, it has completely changed its stance on exclusivity and its position in the gaming landscape. Lately, Microsoft has become more of a third-party publisher rather than a traditional console manufacturer. The company has not only brought many of its olderXbox games to PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, but it has also expressed its intent to release the majority of its upcoming games on rival platforms on day one.
Although Microsoft’s multi-platform pivot was met with a lot of backlash among the Xbox community, the company’s new strategy has seemingly worked out well for it so far. Playground Games' Xbox-exclusive arcade racer,Forza Horizon 5, debuted on PlayStation 5 in April 2025, and reports suggest that the game has performed well on the platform. It was, in fact, the second-best-selling title of the month in the U.S., beaten only by fellow Microsoft gameOblivion Remastered. Meanwhile,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, another former Xbox exclusive that Microsoft brought to PS5 in April, apparently sold at a faster rate on Sony’s platform than it did on Xbox or PC.
Given how successful Microsoft’s multi-platform strategy is, Sony may be more inclined to adopt a similar business model. Although it’s highly unlikely that Sony will start porting its landmark single-player franchises, likeGod of WarandThe Last of Us, to Xbox or Nintendo consoles anytime soon, it may be beneficial for the company to bring some of its other games to rival platforms in the future.
Helldivers 2’s region lock was also recently lifted and, together with Xbox players at the end of August, the playerbase will be much larger, especially withHelldivers 2’s cross-play support.
One of the onlyformer Sony games currently available on Xbox,Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, made waves when it hit Xbox Series X/S last year. Despite its shadow drop, it topped the weekly Xbox sales charts and became the second-best-selling game on the Xbox storefront in the U.S. At the end of the day, though, how wellHelldivers 2sells on Xbox may be a determining factor in whether Sony moves forward with more ports of the like.
