During the Nordic Game 2024 event, former Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt revealed that they worked on Helldivers 2 for almost eight years

The now former CEO of Arrowhead Studios, Pilestedt, held a talk titled “You won’t believe this actually happened, and neither do we” at the Nordic Game Spring 2024 event. He spoke about the success of Helldivers 2, how the studio operates, the challenges they faced, and why it took them so long to create a sequel to an already popular game.

Initially envisioned as a cooperative action shooter, the game aimed to put players in the roles of the “bad guys” of the galaxy, similar to stormtroopers from popular culture. Pilestedt explained: “The concept is inspired by the idea of being one of the background characters, like the stormtroopers trying to break into the cell block in Star Wars and then get shot by Han Solo. The question is whether players could fare better in that kind of scenario, trying to capture enemies while defending their stronghold, similar to the Death Star, and survive a galactic war without advanced armor.”

However, the development process turned out to be far more complex and time-consuming than initially expected. “They asked us if we wanted to make a sequel to Helldivers, and we said, ‘Yeah, I think that sounds really fun because it’ll be easy.’ We already know the game… we could probably do it in three years,” Pilestedt said. Despite this optimistic outlook, the project took nearly eight years instead of the estimated three.

A major challenge was the rapid expansion of the development team. It originally consisted of around 10 people for Helldivers 1, growing to 16 by the end of that project. When development on Helldivers 2 began, the team quickly merged with another, resulting in a sudden increase to 35 members, eventually reaching 100. Managing such rapid growth proved difficult, causing recurring issues that the studio struggled to resolve, often finding themselves in trouble.

“The ways of working that suited a small, flexible group became problematic as the team expanded,” Pilestedt explained. Fast, informal decision-making processes led to chaos and misunderstandings within the larger organization. This chaos not only affected project efficiency but also contributed to stress and reduced productivity. The reluctance to adopt more structured, corporate processes further exacerbated these problems. “The team wanted to keep the indie spirit and avoid the pitfalls of large organizations full of politics. However, that idealism conflicted with the practical needs of managing a much larger team,” he concluded.

Pilestedt emphasized that organizational structure, proper planning, and efficient processes are not incompatible with maintaining a flexible and dynamic team environment. “Without proper structure and planning, an organization can swing to the opposite extreme, resulting in overly rigid processes and excessive organization, where communication pathways become strictly enforced and cumbersome,” he noted.

During the development of Helldivers 2, the team struggled to adapt to the shift away from small-team workflows, which created significant design, technical, and art debt. While manageable in a small team, this debt became unsustainable in a larger organization, leading to an accumulation of unfinished tasks and inefficiencies. In addition, common development challenges such as scope creep and changes in business models further intensified their difficulties. At one point, they faced a major setback when Autodesk discontinued the Stingray engine they were using, forcing them to consider building their own engine.

Despite the obstacles, Pilestedt attributes the team’s resilience to their “grit, togetherness, and compassion.” The team’s determination, mutual trust, and empathy toward players were the driving forces that carried them through difficult times. The team constantly pushed deadlines and expanded the scope of work, but they never managed to fully catch up, creating a constant state of trying to stay afloat. Pilestedt concluded, “Maintaining a balance between flexibility and structure is crucial in game development. Without that balance, rapid growth and shifting project needs can lead to significant challenges, as we experienced with Helldivers 2.”