Gamers can be a hard bunch to keep happy, too much content, not enough content, too expensive, it’s impossible to please everyone, especially some new HELLDIVERS players
Arrowhead has just launched HELLDIVERS on Steam and some of the community has complained about the amount of DLC available to buy at launch.The complaints have prompted Arrowhead’s CEO Johan Pilestedt to release a statement explaining why there’s so much DLC on day one. It’s a lengthy update but it should be read in its entirety to understand the thinking behind the decision.
For those players who have recently purchased the game, HELLDIVERS has been out on PlayStation platforms for nearly ten months now. In that time we have released a number of DLC, most of which we have worked on closely with the community, listening to their feedback and incorporating their great ideas. You want to move quickly across the map in a cool vehicle? Check out this deathtrap of a motorcycle! People asked for more mechs. We gave you more mechs.
I feel like we have dealt players items which they specifically requested, while at the same time maintaining a fair business model. When you purchase the DLC, it directly goes back to benefitting the HELLDIVERS community. With the revenue we are able to support the game and maintain our servers, continue to pay the employees who look after and design the game, and, more importantly, work on free content updates for the game. So far we have released three free content updates adding things like new environments, enemies and objectives which I hope you have all enjoyed.
I realize that new PC players may look at the DLC and think that we produced it specifically for sale at launch, but that is wrong. The DLC which PC players face at launch is an accumulation of work over the last ten months, all of which was produced after the launch of the game on PlayStation platforms – none of which was ever designed as a quick cash-grab. In fact, since release, the great majority of our time has been spent creating the free expansions.
In reality, I like to think that I work hard to strike a fair balance between maintaining a game development studio (with real people to pay each month) and the community who have both requested and demanded new in-game challenges and items on a regular basis.
When working on a game which has taken over three years of my life in development time, the last thing I want to do is split the community with DLC. That is why I want to be transparent with you about where your money goes, what it does and how it helps us. I appreciate all those who do decide to help support HELLDIVERS further by purchasing DLC, but I want to reinforce that it is optional and is in no way necessary or needed to enjoy playing the game.
More often than not, external factors also influence the end decisions which you see in the store. I am forbidden from discussing details, and in the end it is not my decision regarding sales, but I will continue to try to see what I can do for the community concerning 4 packs (I personally would of course love to see 4 packs happen as the game is specifically designed for co-op!) and being able to upgrade the Vanguard Edition to the Digital Deluxe.
It all sounds reasonable enough and you don’t NEED to buy the DLC, there is a Digital Deluxe edition that gives it all for an extra £10 which seems very reasonable.
