Summary
- Helldivers 2 Creative Director Johan Pilestedt believes that "balance is not game design" and that designers should prioritize player enjoyment over strict balancing.
- Pilestedt argues that game designers place too much emphasis on balance, which he sees as only a minor aspect of game design.
Helldivers 2 Creative Director and Arrowhead CCO Johan Pilestedt recently stated that he believes “balancing is not game design.” In the past, Pilestedt has shared his thoughts on various aspects of the video game industry, addressing community debates on topics like DEI, but now the Helldivers 2 director has directly questioned how certain game designers approach balance.
Arrowhead Game Studios’ multiplayer third-person shooter was a smash hit in 2024, with Helldivers 2 setting a new standard for live-service games. The studio took everything it learned from the previous title and built upon it, retaining its strengths while doubling down on its chaotic gameplay. Over 2024, Helldivers 2 received numerous updates introducing new content and features, as well as bug fixes and balance adjustments. Like many other live-service games, maintaining a balanced experience is challenging, as players constantly find new ways to push the game’s limits. However, Arrowhead’s CCO has a clear stance on how balance should work in gaming.
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As reported by GamesRadar+, the Creative Director of the successful Helldivers 2, Johan Pilestedt , recently spoke during a Game Developers Conference 2025 panel, stating that “balance is a myth.” According to him, game designers should prioritize delivering a fun experience to players first and address balance afterward. He believes the industry is approaching it the wrong way, with developers placing too much emphasis on this aspect. “Game designers nowadays are obsessed with balance,” he said.
Helldivers 2 Director Says Game Designers Should Prioritize Fun Over Balance
Pilestedt emphasized that, in his view, balancing is part of the polishing stage of game design and should only account for about 5% of the work. He argued that believing game balance is a key to success is a serious mistake and far from what constitutes good game design. Although Helldivers 2 has had balance issues in the past, Pilestedt remains firm in his stance that “balancing is not game design.” He believes games are all about the experience, with chaos being a crucial part of it, and that over-polishing this aspect can actually harm the gameplay.
Balancing is not game design.
Pilestedt has played a key role in Helldivers 2’s success. However, in January, he announced that he was stepping away from Helldivers 2 to take a sabbatical after 11 years of working on the game’s IP, citing a need to spend time with family and friends. He hasn’t disclosed how long he’ll be away, only stating that he will be out “for a while” before returning to work on Arrowhead’s next game.
Helldivers 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
