Helldivers 2 Developer Arrowhead Is Already "Working On The High Concept" For The Next Game

The developers of Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Game Studios, are reportedly working on another game. Released last February to near-universal critical acclaim and a massive player base that seemed to pop up overnight. Despite a controversy caused by the game's mandatory PSN linking, and a dearth of content in the latter half of the year, the game is still going strong, with promises of massive updates to Helldivers 2 in 2025.

But Arrowhead Game Studios isn't stopping there; Johan Pilestedt, the CCO of the Swedish development company and Creative Director of Helldivers 2 recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to solicit fan opinions on what the studio's next game should be. Pilestedt says he's already working on the "high concept" of the next game, but was curious to hear what fans are expecting from the studio. While it's unclear whether these expectations will actually influence Arrowhead's output, Pilestedt engaged directly with the collective brainstorming session, responding to fan speculation and sharing concepts for similar projects that Arrowhead has previously scrapped.

Helldivers 2 Fans Speculate What's To Come Next From Arrowhead

Vehicular Combat, A New Helldivers, Or A Return To Form?

Many fans had opinions on what Arrowhead's next game should be, but some of them seem more familiar than others. Naturally, many suggested just making Helldivers 3, but if his concept were as simple as that, Pilestedt likely wouldn't have sought their input. But other fans came surprisingly close to scrapped game concepts that Arrowhead has worked on in the past, including @SoundwaveSpectr's suggestion for an on-rails aerial combat simulator a la Starfox.

Others, like @BlueFinn42, knew exactly what they were doing. This user suggested bringing back Magicka, a largely forgotten co-op game released by Arrowhead in 2011. In gameplay, it's similar to the first Helldivers - just replace Stratagems with spells. It takes place in a Norse myth-inspired fantasy universe with a uniquely Arrowhead satirical bent - see the expansion Magicka: Vietnam.

And still others, like @archibald_liu, had bizarre-yet-brilliant ideas for a Helldivers sequel. Instead of making another shooter, this fan suggested, Arrowhead's next game should take inspiration from other co-op titles like Overcooked. This would focus on the lesser-known Helldivers - not the ones on the surface of alien worlds fighting for Super Earth's peace, but those stuck on the ships above them, performing all the mundane tasks that keep the war machine going.

Whatever the case, it's clear Arrowhead has something big planned. Still, Pilestedt is careful not to give anything away, and considering he's still only working on the concept for the game, it's likely still years away from release. But that doesn't mean there's no room for rampant speculation about what Helldivers 2's successor could be.

Our Take: What Could The Next Arrowhead Title Be?

And Now, For Something Completely Different

As much as I would like to see more Helldiversor a Magicka 3, it looks like Arrowhead is really gearing up to surprise us. In recent years, the studio has become known for three things: shooters, sci-fi, and satire. It's a brilliant combo reminiscent of the best Paul Verhoeven films, and Helldivers 2 has proven that it's a viable formula with widespread appeal.

But there's something very tongue-in-cheek about the tone of Pilestedt's original Tweet. It's not a warm invitation to fans to influence the nature of Arrowhead's next game; it's definitely an attempt to gauge the temperature of the fan base, but there's a taunting aspect to it, as if Pilestedt is confident he's got a big surprise in store. My guess is, whatever Arrowhead puts out next, it'll be a massive surprise to onlookers one and all. It'll be unlike anything else its previous output, up to and including Helldivers 2, has led us to expect.

Sources: Johan Pilestedt/X (1, 2), @SoundwaveSpectr/X, @archibald_liu/X