"I Have Been Living It Since Early 2016": Helldivers 2 Director Taking Time Off Before Their Next Game
Following a series of successful and well-received updates for Helldivers 2, the game's Creative Director and CCO of developer Arrowhead Game Studios, Johan Piletstedt, has announced that he'll be taking a break. Launched in February 2024, Helldivers 2 quickly became a breakout success for Arrowhead, dwarfing the player count of the original Helldivers and becoming one of the few truly successful live-service games to be released in recent years. Despite suffering from some major setbacks, Helldivers 2 has continued to see success in 2025 and still has some big updates ahead of it.
As announced by Johan Pilestedt on X, he will be taking "a sabbatical", noting that the eleven years of work that he's put into the Helldivers games have affected his personal life. As Arrowhead continues to work on Helldivers 2 without him, Pilestedt promises that the studio "will do their utmost in the meantime to deliver amazing stuff" - and, interestingly, hints at what might be next for the studio after the end of his break, teasing "the next Arrowhead game".
After 11 Years Of Non-Stop Work, The Helldivers 2 Director Needs A Break
Nearly A Year After Launch, Pilestedt Is Leaving Helldivers 2 In A Good Spot
Notably, while Pilestedt's statement says that he's taking a break, it does seem like, where Helldivers 2 is concerned, he'll have minimal involvement in the game's development going forward. Instead, as his statement indicates, he'll be taking the lead on an entirely new title and leaving the development of Helldivers 2 to others at Arrowhead. Hopefully, after working on the series since 2013, an extended break and beginning work on an entirely new project will provide a nice change of pace.
While Pilestedt served as the CEO of Arrowhead when Helldivers 2 launched, he took a step back from the role three months later in May, announcing on X that he would be passing it to current CEO Shams Jorjani and stepping into the position of Chief Creative Officer, making him more directly involved in Helldivers 2's ongoing development. Some of the updates that followed, most notably the "Escalation of Freedom" update in August, received backlash from the community, mostly for nerfing certain weapons, but the game has since changed course, to a generally positive reception.
What Could Be Coming Next From Arrowhead Game Studio?
Arrowhead's Next Game (Probably) Won't Be Helldivers 3
Although Pilestedt has lightly teased Arrowhead's next upcoming game, there's currently very little information to indicate what it might be. A prospective Helldivers 3, at least, isn't especially likely, as Pilestedt previously indicated on X that Arrowhead plans on "growing Helldivers 2 into Helldivers 3" - so continued updates for 2 will most likely take the place of a standalone sequel. Other than Helldivers, Arrowhead has also worked onGauntlet and the original Magicka, but the studio's next game could easily be a new IP or even a Helldivers spin-off title.
Until more is revealed, there's not much to speculate on about Arrowhead's next game, and it will probably take a significant amount of time before the studio is ready to show anything substantial. As Johan Pilestedt takes a well-earned break, however, Helldivers 2 will continue to receive updates from the rest of the Arrowhead team, which will hopefully continue to push the game in the right direction.
Sources: @Pilestedt/X (1, 2, 3)
Helldivers 2
OpenCritic Reviews- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- bitsquid
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