The team behind Helldivers 2 is already hard at work on its next project, and all signs point to an experience that will not throw long-time fans into completely unknown territory. According to Arrowhead creative director Johan Pilestedt, the new game is still in a very early phase, but the goal is clear: to build on the foundations laid by the studio’s latest science-fiction co-op shooter.

Arrowhead Game Studios has quietly started development on its next video game, and early comments suggest the project will stay relatively close to what players found in Helldivers 2. In a brief interview, Johan Pilestedt, the studio’s former CEO and current creative director, confirmed that work is underway and hinted that the tone and structure of the new title will remain near the studio’s acclaimed science-fiction multiplayer game.

Even as Arrowhead looks ahead, its most recent hit is still collecting trophies. Launched in February 2024, Helldivers 2 keeps showing up at awards shows and recently took home the Best Game prize at the Golden Joystick Awards. The studio travelled to the UK to attend the ceremony, and it was there, in a short conversation with GamesRadar+, that Pilestedt finally spoke more openly about what comes next and about the philosophy that is guiding the team as they shape this new experience.

To begin with, Pilestedt stresses that Arrowhead’s new game is still in its infancy. This is, he says, his favourite stage of a project, “when you pull a fresh team together, break down the barriers between people and really dig into who we are and what kinds of games we want to create together”. He is not yet ready to share specifics about the gameplay systems or core ideas they are exploring, but he does make one point very clear: “we are trying to carry forward the legacy of what we have already built”.

As Pilestedt puts it, “it will not be too different from Helldivers, so all the die-hard Helldivers fans will be able to jump into the next game and at least recognise its DNA”. At the same time, he warns that his words should not be taken as a literal description of the finished product, since they can be interpreted in several ways. Arrowhead might be working on a new multiplayer-focused experience, or it could be staying inside the Helldivers universe while approaching the action from a fresh angle. In any case, we will have to wait for the studio to share more concrete news before we know exactly what this project is.

Arrowhead CEO Wants Helldivers 2 To Be A Game “That Can Always Be Enjoyed”

One thing is already settled: a potential Helldivers 3 is not on Arrowhead’s roadmap. After the runaway success of Helldivers 2 in 2024, it would be easy to assume that the natural next step would be to jump straight into another numbered sequel. Instead, current CEO Shams Jorjani has explained that the studio’s real ambition is to turn the existing co-op shooter into a genuinely long-lived game, supported by a steady stream of updates, rather than splitting its efforts across yet another instalment.

For that reason, the most likely scenario is that Arrowhead channels its time and resources into a different kind of project which, to borrow Pilestedt’s words, is still very much designed to speak directly to Helldivers fans.

Source: 3djuegos