How Arrowhead Revitalized Helldivers 2’s Success

Arrowhead’s CEO, Shams Jorjani, recently shared insights into how the company managed to adapt to a brand-new fanbase following the unexpected triumph of Helldivers 2.

During a conversation with The Games Business, Jorjani highlighted a guiding principle of the company: designing a game for everyone often means it’s designed for no one. Helldivers 2 was initially crafted with a specific audience in mind. However, after the game’s launch drew in millions of players, Arrowhead was left rethinking its development strategy.

“Creating Helldivers wasn’t about appealing to a broad audience,” Jorjani explained.

“But there’s something fascinating about crafting a focused, uncompromising game experience for a niche group. It can end up resonating well beyond that initial target. We’ve seen this across the gaming industry and even beyond. Consider From Software’s success; they stuck to their guns with tough-as-nails gameplay when everyone else was opting for hand-holding. Now, an entire genre has sprung up from their approach.”

He continued by emphasizing, “We didn’t set out to capture the interest of six million Call of Duty players. That was never the plan. Yet, six million Call of Duty enthusiasts picked up our game. Their preferences and expectations differ significantly from players coming from the likes of Escape From Tarkov or Arma, which were more our direct influences.”

Jorjani also noted, “We coined that period ‘the summer of pain,’ humorously perhaps, because we struggled with the challenge of remaining true to our studio’s core principles while addressing the diverse demands of a much larger and varied audience.”