PlayStation has never had much luck with first-person shooters. Haze was disgusting and led to the permanent closure of Free Radical Design. MAG was an overly ambitious yet reckless and ahead-of-its-time mess, while Guerrilla's Killzone series long remained in the shadow of Bungie's Halo. It's a genre that Sony has been around for generations, but has never excelled at. For many, that long-held opinion has changed with Helldivers 2.
While not a first-party exclusive like Killzone, Arrowhead Interactive's live service ode to the powers of galactic democracy took the galaxy by storm when it launched in February. It offered a new take on team shooting that we'd never seen before, with equally tense and exhilarating matches where you fought to survive amidst hordes of bugs and cars. It's a game that captures the imagination of millions with its fresh take on the genre, and despite its occasional missteps, it remains a major player to this day. Now, its first big crossover is here.
Following the backlash, Arrowhead announced that the upcoming second part of its collaboration with Killzone will be distributed for free.
Helldivers 2's Killzone crossover was supposed to be a Warbond
Since its release, Helldivers 2 has received a lot of praise for its monetization. It launched at a lower price to begin with, allowing players to jump into the game for $34.99 knowing that all their money was well spent. Then came Warbonds, miniature battle passes that you could spend in-game currency on to unlock all sorts of new weapons and cosmetics. These are not only convenient, but none of them cease to exist when another one comes along, so it's possible to unlock anything you might have missed by jumping between ties at any time.
I love this system and wish more live service games would adopt it instead of relying on the powers of FOMO to ensure audiences are constantly tuning in for every seasonal drop. Sometimes I have other things to do, or I'm just not in the mood for Helldivers 2, or maybe life gets in the way and I don't want to feel guilty about missing out. The Killzone crossover doesn't take this route, choosing instead to sell skins, weapons, and cosmetics at a premium that its players already deem too expensive. It's a free-to-play attitude towards a premium title, which has always turned people away, no matter how you tried to deliver it.
Following the release, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani hopped on the official Discord server to touch on players' concerns and how this overpriced debacle wasn't due to Sony's influence or anything equally nefarious, he was simply trying to find a sweet spot when it comes to the release of crossovers like this and how it can give players a fair deal:
“First of all, this is our first collaboration, so we'll figure it out as we go along,” Jorjani said. “Let us know what you would like to see in the future. Secondly, it's optional: the more we sell, the more things like Illuminate we can continue to publish for free.”
Killzone needs a remastered collection or something that honors its legacy
I understand the teething problems that come with premium crossovers like this, and the developers will try to find the sweet spot between maximizing profits and not raking their fans over the coals. Killzone was a misstep and now players have learned that it was originally supposed to be a Warbond, like all other cosmetics, some believe this was done out of greed. Regardless of the truth, it's a shame that Killzone's first modern appearance outside of Astro Bot finds itself mired in such controversy. It deserves better and one day I hope Sony is willing to do something with this property.
Killzone Shadow Fall is readily available in both physical and digital forms while still looking gorgeous. It's not the best shooter ever made, but it's worth your time.
A remastered collection featuring all three main games wouldn't hurt. The first already received this treatment on PS3, while Killzone 2 and 3 still feel enjoyable to play after all these years, so why not do the development work in-house and bring this dormant series back for another try. Guerrilla committing to an entirely new entry would be foolish, and in the current landscape of live-duty shooters, I doubt it could hold its own anyway.
After going all-in on Horizon, I want to see that series continue to evolve, but that doesn't mean an iconic piece of Sony history should be left to rot forever on older platforms. If his legacy ends with an embarrassing collaboration with Helldivers 2, I'm not sure I'll ever get over the missed potential.
Helldivers 2
