Helldivers 2 has been one of PlayStation’s biggest successes this year. It is the quintessential live-service title, showcasing the potential success of such games if the developers handle it well. However, like any title before it, Helldivers 2 is now slowly losing popularity, and Arrowhead Studios is currently hard at work to ensure fans stick around for a little longer.
What the studio is missing out on, it seems, is studying the cases of other highly successful titles that came before it and what they did to prolong their life. The biggest example of this is Fortnite, and there’s one very old feature from that game that may just save Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2 Should Get an Expanded Super Store With More In-Game Items
Helldivers 2‘s Superstore has been an essential part of the game since the very beginning, offering players different armor pieces at a regular rotation of 2 days. It’s a great concept in theory; however, it is somewhat lacking in execution, as the Super Store’s offerings are limited to 2 armor sets.
So, keeping that in mind, here’s an idea Arrowhead can work on—expand the Super Store to feature Capes, Emotes, Weapons, and more armor sets. The idea, first suggested by Reddit user Still-Negotiation-11, is a simple one, but it can greatly increase player retention of the game by giving them a few more things to look forward to.
This formula is what allowed Epic Games to maintain Fortnite‘s large player base: present a storefront with lucrative items and let players grind to grab them all. Presently, the game has an endgame problem wherein there is simply not enough content to spend your time on.
Not to mention, the resource cap means that players no longer know what to spend all their hard-earned moolah on. By expanding the Super Store and letting the endgame players grind for more sweet items, not only would the endgame problem be largely mitigated, but grinding for extra weapons would also allow for deeper and more flexible build variety.
Can Helldivers 2 Escape the Fate of Every Other Failed Live-Service Game?
It’s a rare sight when a community for a live-service game comes together and joins the developers in making sure the game remains successful for as long as possible. Such is the case with Arrowhead and Helldivers 2‘s community, which continues to share ideas regarding the game’s future.
After the whole debacle surrounding Sony’s account-linking policy earlier this month, admittedly, the current player count shows that the game has been left with a scar. The game remains delisted in PSN-blocked countries and is slowing down where it continues to remain playable.
In such a scenario, it’s clear that the community and Arrowhead need to grit their teeth and make new additions to the game. It’s important to make changes, lest Helldivers 2 meets the same fate that its unfortunate predecessors once did. Except for Fortnite, of course.
What do you think of the Super Store idea? Do you think it will help maintain Helldivers 2‘s player count? Let us know in the comments below.
