Adapting to Success: Arrowhead’s Journey with Helldivers 2
Shams Jorjani, CEO of Arrowhead, recently shared insights into the transformative journey the company undertook following the remarkable success of Helldivers 2. In a conversation with The Games Business, Jorjani emphasized the studio’s foundational belief that creating a game for everyone often results in a product that resonates with no one. With a clear vision for a specific audience, Arrowhead initially set out to craft an experience tailored for dedicated gamers.
However, the unexpected surge in popularity, attracting millions of players post-launch, prompted a reevaluation of their development approach. “We did not set out to design Helldivers for a wide audience,” Jorjani remarked. “But if you make an uncompromising game experience for a very specific audience, you have the ability to resonate far outside of it.” This philosophy reflects a broader trend in the gaming industry, where niche titles have transcended their original demographics, creating entire genres in the process.
Jorjani pointed to the example of From Software, whose notoriously challenging games stood in stark contrast to the more accessible offerings of their time. “They were very brutally hard when every other game was about hand-holding, and now there’s an entire genre born out of that,” he noted. This illustrates how a commitment to authenticity can yield unexpected rewards.
Despite not targeting the six million players of Call of Duty, Arrowhead found itself with a diverse audience that included these gamers, who brought different expectations and preferences compared to fans of titles like Escape From Tarkov or Arma, which had influenced Helldivers 2’s development.
Jorjani candidly described the challenges faced during what he referred to as “the summer of pain.” This period was marked by the difficulty of balancing the studio’s core principles with the practicalities of responding to a multitude of new voices and demands. “It was hard for us to reconcile how to stay true to the studio fundamentals while dealing with the business realities of having so many different voices screaming at us,” he explained.
As Arrowhead navigates this new landscape, the lessons learned from Helldivers 2’s success will undoubtedly shape its future endeavors, fostering a deeper understanding of audience engagement and the complexities of game development in an ever-evolving market.
