After receiving a wealth of feedback from the community, Helldivers 2's Production Director, Alex Bolle, explains how Arrowhead Game Studios is changing its approach to delivering new content in the popular shooter. Helldivers 2 released in 2024 and quickly became one of the hottest games of the year, though the popular title has struggled to maintain its momentum as frequent updates seemed to prioritize content over optimization, negatively impacting even its most dedicated players.
In a recent Q&A, Game Director Mikael Eriksson discussed the current state of Helldivers 2, acknowledging that the title is "starting to break at the seams." According to Eriksson, the issues are a result of the choices made while pushing forward new content. He claimed that, throughout development, the team continued to get away with things they shouldn't have been able to pull off. This became something of a trend that inevitably began to influence the title's performance and optimization. It seems as if Arrowhead Game Studios is taking a moment to chart a new course forward, as Eriksson appears to be dedicated to navigating the current live-service environment while delivering the best possible experience for fans.
Helldivers 2 Is Taking a More Measured Approach to Updates
In a recent interview published on Arrowhead's website, Helldivers 2 Production Director Alex Bolle explained what's next for the popular shooter as the developers shift their focus away from delivering new content at such a rapid pace. Bolle paid particular attention to what's called "hardening," which is the final step in the development process before content is released. Bolle stated that, "for the longest time, our features would be considered ready and implemented in the release build at the very last minute. We’re working with the teams to stop that." Instead, it seems as if the developers will be focusing their efforts on seeking out issues and addressing them during this step before fresh content is delivered to the community. These changes in the development process should be welcome news to players who have grown frustrated with Helldivers 2.
In late October, the CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, Shams Jorjani, responded to fans asking for performance improvements in Helldivers 2, stating that "performance will take many many more months of work to get to even more meaningful improvement." While this was unfortunate news for players hoping to see an immediate fix to the issues plaguing the title, many people were happy to see the CEO address the community openly and honestly about the future of the game.
It seems as if Arrowhead Game Studios is already acting in accordance with its new goals, as Helldivers 2's most recent update, 4.1.1, sought to address some of the title's most pressing issues. While the patch was fairly small in both size and scope, it did take measures to prevent technical problems that would cause the game to crash unexpectedly. Many players complained about the crashing issues, which seemed to be even more prevalent for people who joined a game that was already in progress. Despite a few hiccups along the way, many players have continued to enjoy Helldivers 2 and are looking forward to seeing how the game will grow in the future.
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
