Earlier this week, Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios announced its first collaboration with another IP. This turned out to be a crossover promotion with Sony"s Guerrilla Games, bringing an armor set, weapon, and items from the classic Killzone series over to the cooperative shooter via the Superstore.
While some appreciated the addition of items that didn"t depart too far away from the game"s aesthetic, the $20 price tag attached to these items had many fans questioning the direction of the game"s monetization plans. Keep in mind that the game itself costs only $40 when not on sale.
Following an online uproar among the community about the pricing and Superstore rotation changes, Arrowhead has decided to make the second week of Killzone crossover content available for everyone free of charge, and also release them right away.
"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," the developer explains in an update post. "At the same time, some of you are not happy with the prices of the items and we will revisit this."
The free items everyone has received include the above shown AC-2 armor set, PLAS-39 rifle and StA-11 SMG weapons, as well as a themed cape and banner.
The first wave of crossover tiems will still be available for purchase in-game on PlayStation 5 and PC, but the studio is extending its Superstore rotation period from five days to 10. Arrowhead says its teams are also "investigating solutions for how we can bring these items back permanently in the future."
It"s unclear how the community backlash and the crossover"s sudden pricing change will affect any future collaborations by the studio and publisher Sony.