In both the gaming and entertainment industries, strategic decisions often involve careful planning, allocation of resources, and achieving objectives. Sony is renowned for its strategic decisions that are aimed at increasing their revenue flow.
With the success of the Warhammer+ streaming service, derived from its exclusive animated series Angels of Death, based on Warhammer 40k games. Sony now has the opportunity and idea to make more financial gains by creating a Helldivers 2 animated series.
Navigating the Impact of Exclusive Content: Lessons from Warhammer 40k
Helldivers 2 was a major success and has created a massive community that adores the game’s immersive world and cooperative combat mechanics. However, there is a possibility that Sony takes the success of the game a step further and tries to create an animated series, just like the Warhammer 40K franchise.
Sony understands that just like Warhammer‘s dedicated fans, the Helldivers franchise too has those dedicated players who live and breathe the game’s content. Games Workshop, the parent company behind Warhammer IP, introduced Warhammer TV, a streaming service that locked the exclusive animated series behind a paywall (Warhammer +), and dedicated fans immediately subscribed to it.
Imagine a Helldivers 2 animated series that brings the game’s incredible story and showcases its immersive worldbuilding to life. Knowing Sony, it would follow in the footsteps of Warhammer+ and start offering episodes exclusively to subscribers or as a deal with the game’s premium package.
This money-oriented approach not only aims to exploit loyal players but also has the potential to divide the community. This will narrow the player’s experience and divert the casual players’ interest away from the game.
Sony’s Profit-Driven Approach
An animated series based on the Helldivers‘ universe has great appeal and can be a promising way to attract new players (Just Like Fallout TV Series helped the Fallout games). However, Sony’s usual profit-driven motive will lock the content behind a paywall (as shown with the controversial PSN account disaster). This will undermine the dedication and hard work put in by the animated team and will most likely divide developers and fans.
If they ever decide to create the animated series, it is not because they want to appreciate fans’ dedication but to earn more money from the series. Warhammer has set the precedent that financial success sometimes means more than the integrity of the gaming experience.
In the end, it is essential to remember that everyone should aim to develop creative content to enhance the player’s experience rather than keeping profit margins in mind.
Angels of Death is available on WarhammerTV.
