Arrowhead, the developers behind Helldivers 2, have addressed concerns from the gaming community that they might shift their focus to a new project, known as "Game 6," following the successful launch of the full-scale Illuminate invasion. CEO Shams Jorjani took to the official Helldivers Discord to reassure fans about the studio's plans.
"The wonderful thing is that thanks to the amazing support of you FINE people, Arrowhead's future is quite bright, and we have the freedom to explore some really cool concepts that we couldn't have otherwise. Game 6 (our next project) will happen the way it will happen thanks to you," Jorjani stated. However, this seemingly innocuous comment led to concerns from a fan who felt it suggested Arrowhead might be diverting significant development resources away from Helldivers 2.
Jorjani was quick to clarify, "Nah. It's ALL Helldivers 2 for now. A very, very small team will spin up something later this year and go at it slowly. Helldivers is our main focus and will be for a loooong time." This statement underscores Arrowhead's commitment to continuing support for Helldivers 2.
Regarding the longevity of Helldivers 2 content updates, Jorjani explained, "As long as you folks keep playing and buying Super Credits, we can keep it going." He acknowledged past challenges but highlighted the positive turnaround, attributing it to the community's support. "Last summer we were kinda screwing the pooch so it looked like we wouldn't be able to keep the train going for a long time - but we turned the ship around, you support us a lot so it's looking bright."
In a follow-up comment, Jorjani addressed a fan's concern about region-locking issues faced by Helldivers 2, saying, "The next game is 100% funded by ourselves so we'll call 100% of those shots." This suggests that Arrowhead plans to self-fund and independently control the development of Game 6, indicating it will not be Helldivers 3 and that they won't be partnering with Sony or another publisher.
Jorjani also discussed the development approach for Game 6, contrasting it with the "rough" eight-year development of Helldivers 2. "For the most part of the development cycle, games plain suck," he said. "Very seldom are they truly fun from the get-go. And for Helldivers taking eight years to make it was rough for the longest time. But it came together in the end. The ONLY way to know is to playtest playtest playtest. For our next game, we're doing things in a much smarter way and nailing a lot of the core s**t early on (as you should) then make the rest."
These comments align with previous statements from Arrowhead developers who expressed their desire for Helldivers 2 to remain a vibrant game for years. Notably, Helldivers 2 is the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, with 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks. Despite challenges such as the PSN account requirement reversal on Steam, review-bombing, and community feedback on game balance, Arrowhead remains committed.
Alex Bolle, production director on Helldivers 2, emphasized this commitment to IGN, stating, "we want it to be around for years and years and years to come." He elaborated on the team's goals, "How do we stay true to the Helldivers 2 fantasy, challenging enough that we keep making amazing new features and new systems and all that while we stay true to who we are? And I think it's something that is so motivating for the years to come."
Bolle also highlighted the creative potential in a live game environment, "The more we figure out how to thrive in a live environment, and we still have a way to go to figure out a lot of things around that, the more we can let creativity loose on new systems that we would've never thought about a year ago when we released. I've worked on live games before and it's where you feel like you have something you can figure out: what if I would do this cool thing I've seen in other games and adapt it to our sauce, that still makes it true to ourselves? I'm looking forward to this moment."
Recent leaks, including one from PlayStation, suggest the upcoming addition of Super Earth as a playable map, indicating that the Illuminate will soon reach our home planet.
