Arrowhead Game Studios, the developers behind the wildly popular Helldivers 2, have addressed concerns from fans about potentially shifting focus away from the game to work on their next project, internally referred to as "Game 6." Following the game's successful launch and the recent full-scale Illuminate invasion, CEO Shams Jorjani took to the official Helldivers Discord to clarify Arrowhead's plans and reassure the community.
Jorjani expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support from players, stating, "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." However, this comment sparked concern among some fans who feared it signaled a diversion of resources away from Helldivers 2.
Jorjani quickly dispelled these concerns, emphasizing that Helldivers 2 remains their primary focus. "Nah. It's ALL Helldivers 2 for now. A very, very small team will spin up something later this year and go at it sloowly. Helldivers is our main focus and will be for a loooong time," he assured fans.
When asked about the longevity of Helldivers 2, Jorjani explained that the game's future depends on player engagement and purchases of Super Credits, the in-game currency used to buy Premium Warbonds. "As long as you folks keep playing and buying Super Credits we can keep it going," he said, highlighting the game's turnaround from a challenging period last summer to its current bright outlook.
In a separate comment, Jorjani responded to a fan's plea for Arrowhead's next game to be available in all regions, avoiding the region-locking issues that Helldivers 2 faced due to its Sony publishing. "The next game is 100% funded by ourselves so we'll call 100% of those shots," Jorjani stated, hinting that Arrowhead plans to self-publish their next project, which is not Helldivers 3.
Reflecting on the development of Helldivers 2, which took eight years to complete, Jorjani admitted that the process was "rough" but ultimately successful. He emphasized the importance of playtesting and outlined a new approach for "Game 6," aiming to perfect the "core s\*\*t" early on. "For the most part of the development cycle games plain suck," Jorjani said. "Very seldom are they truly fun from the get-go... 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's developers, who have expressed their desire for Helldivers 2 to remain a long-term project. Notably, Helldivers 2 achieved unprecedented success as the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks. Despite challenges such as the PSN account requirement U-turn on Steam, review-bomb campaigns, and ongoing community debates over game balance, Arrowhead remains committed.
Alex Bolle, the production director on Helldivers 2, reiterated this commitment in a recent interview with IGN, saying, "we want it to be around for years and years and years to come." Bolle emphasized the importance of staying true to the game's fantasy while continuously innovating and adapting new features and systems. "The more we figure out how to thrive in a live environment... the more we can let creativity loose on new systems that we would've never thought about a year ago when we released," he added, expressing enthusiasm for the game's future.
Recent leaks, including one from PlayStation itself, suggest that a new playable map, Super Earth, may soon be introduced as the Illuminate faction advances to our home planet, promising more exciting content for Helldivers 2 players.
