Aye-aye, Captain!!!

Right? I’m not sure if the tech industry is just going all in on the scam and trying to get as much of our money as they can or if we’re actually about to have some kind of huge technological breakthrough.

Again I think you’re missing the point. I would argue it is a product and a service. They are hosting us on their servers but they’re also playing dungeon master. If you just want a shooter where you shoot bugs they have them but Helldiver’s is more than that. You couldn’t come close to emulating what the game accomplishes on a self hosted server with you and your friends. The point is you’re playing with randos that you have to rely on to do their part so that you don’t die and to complete the major orders.

What I’m trying to say is IMO an offline version wouldn’t be worth playing. The shared victories and failures can’t be simulated and that’s the nature of this kind of video game. There’s been a lot of similar games so I understand the reluctance to join in but the comradery they’ve built through PvE is really something.

Helldivers 2 is not shutting down anytime soon and I doubt they’ll offer an offline mode in the near future. If you’re not playing the major orders and watching the direction of the game in real time you’re going to miss out on a lot of the story and the lore. That’s how live games work. There isn’t a story mode or anything resembling it. Sony got wrapped up in a bunch of controversy and it left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth but AH has been trying to do what’s right. They sold 12,000,000 copies and on an average Tuesday there’s 150,000 players playing at any time. I get the hate for having to be connected to the Internet to play a game but that’s kind of the schtick for Helldivers whether you’re into or not.