Summary
- Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios will self-fund and self-publish its next project, codenamed "Game 6," to retain full control over it.
- Work on Game 6 will begin this year by a small team within Arrowhead, while the wider studio focuses on Helldivers 2.
- The chances of Helldivers 3 being Arrowhead's next game are slim, since the Helldivers IP is owned by Sony.
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios has confirmed that it will fully self-fund its next project. While the studio's current priority is Helldivers 2, the announcement sheds some light on Arrowhead's long-term plans beyond the war to defend Super Earth.
Back when it launched in February 2024, Helldivers 2 became a massive overnight success - far beyond what either Sony or Arrowhead expected - thanks to the live-service shooter's slick gunplay, fun co-op shenanigans, and witty meta-narrative surrounding the in-game Galactic War. While Helldivers 2's popularity did stumble on account of unpopular weapon nerfs and difficulty tweaks later in 2024, Arrowhead reversed course on those decisions and gained back much of the lost favor with the well-received Omens of Tyranny update in December. Now, Arrowhead has begun laying the groundwork for what comes next.
Helldivers 2: All Warbonds, Ranked
Here are all of the Warbonds in Helldivers 2, ranked according to practicality to help players figure out which ones to get first.
In a recent conversation with fans on the official Helldivers Discord server, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani revealed that the studio's next game, currently known only as "Game 6," will be developed independently and fully funded by Arrowhead itself. Jorjani emphasized that while the new game is in the early concept stage and won't begin serious development until later this year, the decision to self-fund gives Arrowhead complete creative and publishing control. He also noted that only a "very, very small team" will begin working on Game 6 in 2025, allowing the rest of Arrowhead to stay focused on Helldivers 2 for the foreseeable future.
Arrowhead Going Solo for its Next Game After Decade-Long PlayStation Partnership
Going independent for its next game is a first for Arrowhead, and likely suggests that the project won't be Helldivers 3, as the rights to the Helldivers IP are under Sony's possession. This doesn't mean Arrowhead and Sony are on dubious terms, though, as Jorjani was quick to praise the platform holder, stating that there "would be no Helldivers without them" and describing PlayStation as an "incredibly game/dev oriented, solid partners." He assured fans that Arrowhead's relationship with Sony remains positive and that the studio is open to working with the gaming giant again in the future.
Arrowhead seems quite excited about its next game and the newfound freedom that Helldivers 2's enormous success bestowed upon the studio. As for what Game 6 could look like, it's a question that almost certainly won't be answered for a few years at the very least. Until then, Arrowhead plans to keep the Galactic War alive and kicking in Helldivers 2. Most recently, Helldivers 2's Galactic Emergency update saw the Illuminate return to invade Super Earth.
Helldivers 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
