Helldivers 2 developers respond to criticism of Killzone 2 crossover cost

UPDATE 3.30pm UK: In response to concerns over pricing, Arrowhead will now gift all players the planned second set of Killzone 2 collaboration items for free.

In a joint statement on Discord from both Arrowhead and Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, the studio acknowledged feedback from the community.

“As this was our first crossover offering, we’ve been listening to the response, and the feedback we’ve received from our community surveys is that crossover content is really high up on your wishlists,” it reads. “At the same time, some of you are not happy with the prices of the items and we will revisit this.

“Because of all this, in partnership with our friends at Guerrilla (and as we’re in the season of holiday cheer), we’ve decided to offer a gift to all players. Firstly, we are gifting to everyone the planned second set of the Helldivers x Killzone collaboration items today, free of charge. The distribution of those items will begin shortly, in two waves.

“As such we’re also going to extend the duration of the items currently in the Superstore from five days to 10 days so that you have a chance to get hold of it and reduce the risk of missing out. We’re also investigating solutions for how we can bring these items back permanently in the future.”

The studio also shared, in the image below, what’s included in this second set. It appears the first set will remain available at the current price.

ORIGINAL STORY 1pm UK: The CEO of Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead has responded to criticism from players of the high cost of its Killzone 2 crossover.

The crossover with Sony’s Killzone 2, revealed yesterday, adds a number of themed items and cosmetics to the in-game store and is the first of its kind for the game. However, players have criticised their cost.

Usually, extra content is unlocked through a Warbond costing 1000 Super Credits (£7.99), which includes multiple weapons, armours, and cosmetic items. The Killzone 2 items are instead available to purchase separately, with all six items totalling 1,975 Super Credits – so two batches of 1000 Super Credits totalling £15.98, essentially doubling the price.

Separately, the StA-52 assault rifle costs 615 Super Credits (the most expensive item) and the AC-1 Dutiful armour costs 500 Super Credits.

Players have since responded negatively on the game’s Discord server and reddit, with one reddit user posting “615 SC for a primary weapon is straight up ridiculous”.

Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilestedt responded to a player on X who said the price “definitely felt steep”.

“Sorry you felt the price was steep, we are looking at all feedback,” Pilestedt replied. “The reason we changed it from a Warbond was actually because there were concerns that having a higher priced Warbond would carry negative sentiment.”

Over on Discord, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani responded (thanks PC Gamer). “Hey, quick comment on the Helghast stuff. Firstly, this is our first collaboration so we’ll be figuring it out as we go along. Let us know what you’d like to see in the future,” he said. “Secondly it’s optional. The more of this we sell, the more Illuminate-type stuff we can keep dropping for free.”

He later added: “This was my way of saying that the better the game does the more stuff we can do.”

Further, Jorjani noted while Arrowhead is partnered with Sony, pricing was the studio’s decision. “This one is on us,” he wrote.

“This feels more like Sony than AH” Bad news girls 🙁
byu/VoreEconomics inHelldivers

As stated in the crossover announcement, the collaboration marks the start of a new five day rotation length in the store.

“Right now, many of you feel the items are in rotation for too short a time, and that you sometimes miss out on that killer look you had your eyes on,” Arrowhead said. “At the same time, the more things we add to the store the longer it takes to come back into rotation.”