Arrowhead Game Studios’ CCO Johan Pilestedt has openly discussed the unpredictable highs and lows of maintaining Helldivers 2 as a live-service title. Speaking candidly, Pilestedt acknowledged that not every update has been warmly received, but emphasized that the team is consistently working to improve the game.
When Helldivers 2 launched, it quickly became one of 2024’s biggest success stories, earning widespread praise from both critics and players. However, its explosive popularity also placed enormous pressure on Arrowhead, suddenly putting the studio at the helm of one of the world’s most active live-service communities. Despite multiple rounds of review-bombing over the past year, the game continues to maintain a strong and loyal player base. Recently, performance problems have become the primary source of frustration for fans — issues that Arrowhead now considers its top priority. Even with these challenges, the game’s core loop remains so compelling that Helldivers 2 continues to thrive.
Developer Recognizes the Roller-Coaster Community Response
During an interview with GamesRadar+ at the 2025 Golden Joysticks Awards, Pilestedt addressed the fluctuating player sentiment head-on. “The community has coined it really well,” he said. “It’s a never-ending ping pong between ‘it’s so over’ and ‘we’re so back,’ and I think that’s sort of the way that we’ll continue developing the game.”
Ideally, Helldivers 2 would avoid the “it’s so over” phase entirely, but Pilestedt explained that the studio approaches every update with the intention of growth and refinement. “We’re trying to get better with each update,” he said. He added that a game often reflects the mindset and personalities of the developers behind it: “When you make a game that’s about bumbling fools, you can sort of realize where that comes from.”
His honesty offers a refreshing contrast to the often-guarded tone of live-service studios. Admitting that the team won’t always get things right shows a willingness to learn and adapt — qualities essential for long-term success.
A Crucial Moment for Helldivers 2
Arrowhead now finds itself at a pivotal stage. Ongoing performance issues have forced the studio to re-examine the game’s long-term needs, with one developer recently admitting that Helldivers 2 is “starting to break at the seams.” While the upcoming updates may focus heavily on technical stability rather than flashy new content, these improvements could be the very thing that ensures the game’s longevity.
If Arrowhead can stabilize the experience and continue refining its updates, Helldivers 2 may move from its cycle of “it’s so over” vs. “we’re so back” into a new era of consistent momentum.
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