Despite the huge success of Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Game Studios is not planning to develop a sequel anytime soon. According to Johan Pilestedt, the studio’s Chief Creative Officer (CCO), the biggest obstacle to Helldivers 3 is the current game itself, which still has an active community and continues to receive new content more than two years after launch.

Future of Helldivers Could Be Helldivers 2

In an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Pilestedt explained that around 95% of Arrowhead’s employees are still working on updates for Helldivers 2. Meanwhile, a small team is involved in prototyping the studio’s next project, whose identity has not yet been revealed.

For the executive, releasing a traditional sequel would mean interrupting the progress built over the past few years and forcing players to start their journey all over again. Instead, Arrowhead would rather turn Helldivers 2 into a long-lasting experience that can keep evolving for years to come.

Pilestedt compared that philosophy to hobbies such as LEGO and Warhammer, where people’s engagement does not necessarily depend on a new edition or product completely replacing what came before.

Last Word on a Sequel of Helldivers 2

The executive also questioned some traditional strategies used in the live-service industry, particularly those built around releasing new installments to renew player interest.

According to Pilestedt, the community is the main factor behind Helldivers 2’s longevity. Players themselves invite friends, create memes, and keep discussions around the game alive, creating a cycle of engagement that does not necessarily need a sequel to continue. In that context, developing Helldivers 3 could end up hurting the franchise’s own success.

“The biggest competitor to Helldivers 3 would be Helldivers 2,” Pilestedt said, explaining that a sequel would only make sense if it introduced enough major differences for both games to coexist without splitting the community.

The director also believes that part of the industry is struggling because older monetization and player-retention strategies for live-service games are no longer delivering the same results. In his view, continuing to invest in improving Helldivers 2 makes more sense than throwing away the momentum the game has built in order to start another project from scratch.

Originally released in February 2024 for PlayStation 5 and PC, Helldivers 2 became one of Sony’s biggest recent success stories. The game sold 12 million copies in its first 12 weeks, setting a record at the time for the fastest-selling PlayStation release. It later launched on Xbox Series X|S as well, expanding its reach even further.

Although its concurrent player count has dropped compared to the launch period, Helldivers 2 still maintains an active community.