Xbox boss Phil Spencer gets why Helldivers 2 isn’t on Series X/S, but he doesn’t see who benefits from it being PlayStation exclusive

Helldivers 2 is quickly becoming one of 2024’s biggest multiplayer games. Following a tremendous launch across PC and PS5, the PlayStation-funded game quickly became the company's biggest launch ever on PC.

With over 360,000 concurrent players across both platforms - a figure that’s been overtaken since, the popularity of the co-op shooter cannot be ignored. But if you’re on Xbox, it's hard not to feel left out.

This is a sentiment Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s gaming boss, also shares. Spencer has being doing a few interviews to coincide with the company’s recent big business update, where it revealed that four of its first-party games are coming to rival platforms.

As part of that announcement, Spencer and the Xbox leadership team reiterated the company’s commitment to the Xbox ecosystem and hardware, but stressed that the long term health of the platform dictates expanding the audience and making money elsewhere, which is why you’re going to see some Xbox-developed games make it out onto other platforms, where it makes sense.

This is very much in line with Xbox’s policy of meeting players where they are, and being on as many screens as possible, so it stands to reason that Spencer isn’t too happy that one of the year’s first sensations is not on Xbox.

Speaking to Stephen Totilo in his Game File newsletter (via IGN), Spencer was a little frustrated to see Helldivers 2 eschew Xbox Series X/S.

“I will say, when I look at a game like Helldivers 2 - and it's a great game, kudos to the team shipping on PC and PlayStation - I'm not exactly sure who it helps in the industry by not being on Xbox,” he said.

“If you try to twist yourself to say, like, somehow that benefited somebody somewhere.”

Spencer, of course, knows very well the value of platform exclusives. Xbox has several games that it only ships on Xbox and PC, so it’s not entirely unfamiliar with this practice. “But I get it,” he added.

“There's a legacy in console gaming that we're going to benefit by shipping games and not putting them on other places. We do the same thing.”

Helldivers 2 is not a first-party PlayStation game, but it is published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, so the company presumably contributed to development and marketing. This doesn’t automatically mean console exclusivity, so it would make sense for the game to be on as many platforms as a possible, especially considering PlayStation’s live service ambitions.

Indeed, Helldrivers 2 may yet come to Xbox at some point down the line, assuming what’s keeping it away from the green team is an exclusivity clause that has an expiration date. If you’re enjoying the game on PC/PS5, it’s worth checking if you’re aware of all of these crucial Helldivers 2 tips, which will definitely make an impact on your gameplay.