Johan Pilestedt is now not CEO of the studio he based. He is handed that job to Paradox veteran Shams Jorjani, and given himself the brand new title of Chief Inventive Officer at Arrowhead. His objective within the new function is to be extra hands-on with Helldivers 2 going ahead and, in his personal phrases, “spend MORE time with the crew and 100% of my concentrate on the video games and neighborhood.”
Certainly, Pilestedt is raring to place away his metaphorical clipboard and choose up a brush. In replies to the information on Twitter, the brand new CCO expressed that he is glad to “not need to cope with HR insurance policies and [quarterly bussiness reviews]” anymore, and stated “the enterprise facet takes an excessive amount of time from making video games!”
With time freed as much as concentrate on the way forward for Helldivers 2, Pilestedt even opened up about just a few subjects on his thoughts: deciphering participant suggestions, devs enjoying their very own recreation, and time-to-kill.
“Very first thing we obtained to do is guarantee we get extra devs time enjoying the sport. It is exhausting to make the proper choices if the eyes aren’t on the highway,” Pilestedt replied to a fan asking about reviewing suggestions. “Secondly, I need to guarantee we actively take a look at the sentiment and create a holistic view of WHY suggestions is given. And my working idea is that TTK is just too excessive.”
Pilestedt didn’t specify what suggestions he is referring to, but it surely’s seemingly he is speaking a few frequent grievance that Helldivers 2 major weapons are too weak. Pilestedt, and Arrowhead at massive, has at all times maintained that major weapons aren’t speculated to be all that highly effective, as you are meant to depend on stratagems to get the job completed. However there is a positive line between “intentionally OK” and “so boring it is unhealthy.” Arrowhead hasn’t held again from buffing weapons deemed underpowered since launch, but it surely has additionally doled out its share of nerfs. Some gamers reject the thought of nerfing weapons in a PvE recreation on precept, although Arrowhead has gone on the report about why “do not nerf, solely buff” is a nasty thought.
Pilestedt’s newest feedback counsel that Arrowhead ought to deal with blunt balancing suggestions with extra nuance. Possibly it isn’t the gun stats which might be an issue, however overly tanky Automatons making divers really feel underpowered?
“[The game] does not need to be simpler. It is simply that the weapons often really feel like pea shooters,” Pilestedt wrote in one other reply.
The up to date strategy to Helldivers 2 balancing might go hand-in-hand with the studio’s plan to decelerate the cadence of patches. If devs are to spend extra time within the recreation they’re tasked with balancing, these hours have to come back from someplace.
Pilestedt desires “longer lasting content material” in Helldivers 2
Yet one more Pilestedt Twitter tidbit of notice: Replying to a fan making recommendations to retain Helldivers 2’s participant base, which has naturally gone down on Steam as of late with fewer updates dropping, the CCO stated the sport wants “longer lasting content material as nicely.”
Liable to studying an excessive amount of into an innocuous tweet, I am a little bit irked by the notion that fewer individuals enjoying Helldivers 2 proper now could be an issue. We all know that even the preferred service recreation participant graphs are a parabola—they naturally go up and down as gamers return to take a look at new updates, attain the tip of development tracks, or just get uninterested in enjoying one recreation for months straight.
As sticky as Helldivers 2 has confirmed since February, it doesn’t have infinite issues to do. I unlocked each stratagem and most weapons after 100 hours, and I have been enjoying much less since then. There’s nothing about Helldivers 2 that means it is meant to by no means cease enjoying—in reality, its $40 price ticket means Helldivers 2 needs to be much less reliant on day by day participant interplay than free-to-play shooters like The Finals or Apex Legends. Fewer lively gamers practically 4 months and 12 million copies later needs to be thought of regular.
The “longer lasting” content material Pilestedt has in thoughts could also be what comes subsequent: Arrowhead’s long-term plan for preserving Helldivers 2 gamers coming again. Possibly an enormous twist within the warfare? Radically completely different stratagems? The long-awaited automobile replace? It would not take a lot to get my buddies excited to leap again in.
