Summary
While the going has up and down,Helldivers 2was one of the best games of last year. The game launched to critical and fan acclaim, quickly rising up the charts to one of the best selling multiplayer games of the year. Precedingnerfs to a number of weapons, however, saw that game’s player count start to dwindle.
But, Arrowhead has stayed on top of things byconstantly listening to the community, andthe game has been flying highsince theOmens of Tyranny update. Johan Pilestedt, the CCO of the studio can be attributed to this community engagement and considered one of the main pillars behind Helldivers 2’s success. He has just announced that he will be taking a well-earned sabbatical.
Rest Up, Helldiver
Via a post on Twitter, Pilestedt revealed that he will be taking a break from video game development after over a decade and upon returning, will get to work on Arrowhead’s next game. Considering the amount of work the studio has put into Helldivers 2 pre and post launch, it’s safe to say that he has earned this break, and we wish him well.
“I am gonna do a sabbatical for a while!” said Pilestedt’s tweet. “I know a lot of you are going to think “por qué?” - well, while you have enjoyed [Helldivers 2] for almost a year, I have been living it since early 2016, and with [Helldivers] - its since 2013. 11 years of working “around the clock” on the same IP has made me set aside family, friends and my lovely wife… and myself.
“I am going to take some time now to redeem what was lost from all of those that supported me for over a decade,” he continued. “When I’m back - I will start working on the next Arrowhead game.”
Pilestedt has been the driving force behind the success of Helldivers 2, which was personally my Game of the Year last year. He definitely deserves his time off after helping deliver this title, and I hope he returns refreshed for the studio’s next title –which we know is not Helldivers 3.
As we know, Liberty never sleeps. The team at Arrowhead will continue working on Helldivers 2 while he is on leave.
