Arrowhead Aims for Long-Term Success with Helldivers 2, Eyes Warhammer 40,000 Collaboration

Helldivers 2 continues its meteoric rise, securing two prestigious BAFTA Game Awards for Best Multiplayer and Best Music out of five nominations. These accolades mark the culmination of an exceptional awards season, spotlighting a stellar year for Swedish developer Arrowhead.

Helldivers 2 accepts the win for Multiplayer at the #BAFTAGamesAwards ✨ pic.twitter.com/rYWwyc1KGR

— BAFTA Games (@BAFTAGames) April 8, 2025

It's worth recalling that Helldivers 2 is not only a critical darling but also holds the record as the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, with an astounding 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks—a milestone unlikely to be surpassed by any other first-party Sony-developed game. Since its explosive launch, the game has seen its fair share of turbulence, including a reversal on PSN account requirements for Steam users, review-bomb campaigns, and a community often at odds with the game itself due to contentious nerfs and buffs.

Arrowhead has faced the challenge of managing a significantly larger and more mainstream playerbase than ever before. Now, 14 months after Helldivers 2 debuted on PC and PlayStation 5, how does Arrowhead view its journey? Has the studio begun to master the demanding dynamics of live-service gaming? Following the successful Killzone collaboration, could a partnership with Warhammer 40,000 be on the horizon?

To delve deeper into these questions, IGN had the opportunity to sit down with Alex Bolle, the production director of Helldivers 2, to gain insights into the game's past and future.