Sony Interactive Entertainment said cooperative shooter “Helldivers 2” will launch on Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S consoles on 26 August for $39.99, with pre-orders already open. The Arrowhead Game Studios title will support cross-play across Xbox, PlayStation 5 and PC, and will be available in both a standard edition and a higher-priced “Super Citizen” bundle. “We know gamers have been asking for this for some time and we are so excited to bring more Helldivers into our game,” game director Mikael Eriksson said in a statement on Xbox Wire. The move makes “Helldivers 2” the first game published directly by PlayStation on a rival console, underscoring Sony’s gradual shift toward a broader multi-platform strategy. While baseball franchise “MLB: The Show” also appears on Xbox, that series is distributed on Microsoft hardware by Major League Baseball rather than by Sony itself. The original PlayStation 5 and PC release in February 2024 became Sony’s fastest-selling first-party title, with industry reports citing 12 million copies sold in the first 12 weeks. Expanding to Xbox gives Sony access to a wider player base for the live-service game as it seeks to extend its lifespan and in-game revenue.