10 Awesome Video Games Betrayed By Terrible Marketing

10. Helldivers 2

Few fans anticipated Helldivers 2 being announced during the 2023 Playstation Showcase. After all, the 2015 original was critically and commercially successful, but it didn’t set the world on fire, and with nearly a decade passing since it came out, hope for a follow-up had essentially faded away.

Yet, the AA sequel quickly became one of 2024’s most actively played and talked about releases. With its superb shooting mechanics, engaging multiplayer camaraderie, and inventive mission structures, it’s little wonder why it garnered such strong word-of-mouth hype.

Unfortunately, that’s virtually all the hype it received because Sony Interactive Entertainment focused instead on showcasing two other shooters arriving around the same time (Foamstars and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League). They even made Foamstars available for free to PS Plus members at launch, thereby diverting a ton of attention away from Helldivers 2.

Plus, the presentations Sony did put out were relatively safe and underseen, positioning the game as blander than it is and ensuring that casual gamers probably weren’t even aware Helldivers 2 existed.

Ironically, and to the surprise of almost no one, both Foamstars and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League were basically dead on arrival.