For democracy. Helldivers 2.
For democracy. Helldivers 2.
Categories

Can a popular online game have a flawless technical launch? | Arrowhead Game Studio’s Helldivers 2

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 4 min

At the Dice Summit, Arrowhead Game Studios won four awards for its Helldivers 2 game. The title is a great multiplayer co-op game where four soldiers land on an alien or robot planet and try to take out as many enemies before being extracted.

It was so popular when it debuted on February 8, 2024, that Stockholm, Sweden-based Arrowhead had trouble keeping the game available for the tons of players flooding in. During that time, it was tough to get an interview with a few of Arrowhead Game Studios’ leaders. I was always curious how the team pulled together and stabilized the game amid the huge popularity. The game eventually sold more than 12 million copies.

Unlock premium content and VIP community perks with GB M A X!
Join now to enjoy our free and premium membership perks.
Join Now
Already a member? Sign in
Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.