Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom is the update we’ve been waiting for, but is it too late?

Arrowhead Game Studios recently announced the first major update for Helldivers 2 titled ‘Escalation of Freedom.’ This update will add new missions, enemies, planets, and more when it launches in August. For many, this is the update that players have been waiting for. But, has it come too late?

Helldivers 2 has been on a steady decline over the past few months but at an accelerated rate since the PSN controversy in May. Recently, the game dipped to below 10,000 concurrent players for the first time since it was released back in February 2024. Although most games go through cycles of popularity and see various high and low points throughout the lifecycle, it is concerning that Helldivers 2 has gone from a meteoric rise to such a low player count.

If you follow the work that we do here on this website or you go back through my author page you will see that I cover Helldivers 2…a lot. I’m deeply passionate about this game so of course hearing the news that we’re going to be getting the first major update since it was released in February was fantastic news and I’ve been incredibly excited about it since the announcement. However, I do feel like this update may have come a little too late. It should have maybe been released back in May or even June. Of course, the likely explanation is that the update wasn’t ready or wasn’t even planned to be released at that point.

A 2023 report by Griffin Gaming Partners revealed that 95% of gaming studios are actively working on live-service games with 66% of them saying that they are essential for the future of the gaming industry. If this is unfortunately the direction that the gaming industry is going and we consumers are being treated like we need a dopamine fix every 10 seconds, then Helldivers 2 needs to also go in that direction to survive.

The Helldivers 2 community did criticize Arrowhead Game Studios for releasing reactionary updates, often nerfing newer weapons in the game after discovering they were effective and players favored them over other options. This led to the developers trying to balance every weapon so nothing stood out above the rest, which for a PVE game made little sense. Outside of these updates, the only other new content came in the form of monthly Warbonds, which add new weapons, armor, boosters, and cosmetic items to the game. But, there are only so many shotguns you can be excited about before it gets old.

In early June, Helldivers 2 saw the black hole event take place when Meridia was destroyed and it created a black hole that is still present in the galaxy. Although it so far hasn’t led to anything major happening, such as the arrival of The Illuminate, it is still a pivotal moment in the game and made it feel more like a live-service title with a living and breathing galaxy that can change at any time. This event led to a 30% increase in players, jumping from 57,000 to over 80,000, signaling that this is what players want to see and what will bring them back.

With many players coming back to experience the black hole event, it is a step in the right direction, and hopefully, Escalation to Freedom will bring more players back, I just hope it isn’t too little too late and people have moved on for good. We will see an increase for sure, but it will be interesting to see how much of a difference it makes especially long term. Right now, I think the only update that can bring a large number of players back is the arrival of The Illuminate, as it will shake Helldivers up by bringing a third enemy type, as for the past six months we have just been fighting the same enemy types with very few mission variations.

If you are excited for the upcoming Escalation of Freedom update, and especially if you have been away from the game for a while, we highly recommend checking out our Helldivers 2 best weapons guide and best armor guide so you can be suitably equipped to serve Liber-tea to all of the new enemies and bring democracy to the galaxy.