Hellraiser 2 is quickly becoming one of the biggest multiplayer games of 2024. Following its success on PC and PS5, the PlayStation-backed game quickly became the company’s biggest launch ever on PC.
With over 360,000 concurrent players on both platforms, a figure that has since been exceeded, the co-op shooter’s popularity cannot be ignored. But if you use an Xbox, it’s hard not to feel left out.
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Phil Spencer, the boss of Microsoft’s gaming business, has the same view. Spencer has been giving a number of interviews to coincide with the company’s recent big business update, which revealed that four of its first-party games will be coming to rival platforms.
As part of the announcement, Spencer and the Xbox leadership team reiterated the company’s commitment to the Xbox ecosystem and hardware, but emphasized that the long-term health of the platform dictates growing the audience and making money elsewhere, which is why you should watch Some
This is very much in line with Xbox’s policy of catering to players on as many screens as possible, so naturally Spencer wasn’t too happy that the first game of the year wasn’t on Xbox.
Speaking to Stephen Totilo in his Game Files newsletter (via IGN), Spencer said it was a bit frustrating to see Hellraiser 2 avoid Xbox Series X/S.
“I will say that when I see a game like Helldivers 2 – which is a great game and a tribute to the team that released it on PC and PlayStation – I’m not sure what it would do to the industry if it wasn’t on Xbox. What helps,” he said.
“If you try to twist yourself and say, like, somehow this benefits someone somewhere.”
Of course, Spencer understands the value of platform exclusivity. Xbox has several games that are only released on Xbox and PC, so it’s not completely unfamiliar with this practice. “But I get it,” he added.
“Console gaming has a tradition where we benefit from releasing games rather than putting them elsewhere. We do the same thing.”
Helldivers 2 isn’t a first-party PlayStation game, but it’s yes It was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, so the company likely contributed to development and marketing. This doesn’t mean console exclusivity, so it would make sense for the game to be released on as many platforms as possible, especially given PlayStation’s live service ambitions.
In fact, Helldrivers 2 may be coming to Xbox at some point in the future, assuming it’s kept away from the Green Team under an exclusivity clause that has an expiration date. If you’re enjoying the game on PC/PS5, it’s worth checking that you know all these important Helldivers 2 tips that are sure to have an impact on your gameplay.
