Early 2024 the fight for galactic liberty reached new heights when, on February 8, Helldivers 2 blasted off into the stratosphere and became the new star of PlayStation 5. Since its launch, the third-person squad-based shooter has become a firm favourite with fans, scooping a clip-load of awards throughout the year. And what a year it ended up being – from brutal new foes to staggering mech suits, Arrowhead pretty much hit the target every time.
So, grab a steaming cup of liber-tea and join Game Director Mikael Eriksson for a chronological, intergalactic jaunt through what made Helldivers 2 such an explosive hit.
February 2024 – launch and the epic battle of Malevelon Creek
The continuation of the Galactic War in Helldivers 2 not only brought with it a fresh gameplay perspective, but also one of the key elements to the game’s appeal – building a community worthy of interstellar peacekeeping.
“One of the things we really wanted to hone in on was making a game that’s exciting and will create great moments that you can look back on with your friends and laugh or reminisce about,” explains Eriksson.
To that end, Helldivers 2’s emergent, often unpredictable systemic gameplay is partnered with social aspects that means players create a constant feedback loop of engagement. Videos and social media posts of random events, friendly fire, accidental deaths and the dramatic stakes of alien warfare already started being shared from launch day. Which was all part of the developer’s vision statement, shared by Eriksson: “Improvise, adapt, and overcome challenges that push your abilities to the max as you forge friendships through the joy of shared laughter and the thrill of clutch moments.”
This was immediately highlighted in the ‘Massacre of Malevelon Creek’ – an ill-fated mission where players were tasked to defend a planet from an Automaton threat. The Helldivers failed. Badly. What resulted from this doomed fight were social media memes, rallying calls, and a desire for revenge which pulled even more players into the game.
“It was incredible to watch,” says Eriksson. “We didn’t even think that the battle for Malevelon Creek would be anything special, but players themselves were really running with it, driven by the huge losses of Helldivers down on the planet. It became a shared experience.”
“This battle was the first time we stood back and said, ‘wow, what have we created?’”
March 2024 – new enemies, missions, and stratagems
The Galactic War well on its way and the number of enlistees growing, Super Earth’s quest for liberty began to take shape with new elements dropped into the game alongside fresh event missions.
The bug-like Terminids added flying Shriekers to their ranks, while the Helldivers evened the odds with the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon, MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun, and the EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit – the latter a reward for the liberation of Tien Kwan.
“I was nervous,” says Eriksson. “We had spent so much time making the Exosuit as good as we could, and now it was down to the community’s ability to actually earn it. What if they’d fail? But eventually they unlocked it… and then all tried to claim it at the same time!”
Players also were making full use of the Galactic War Table, which gave players valuable summaries of the ever-evolving conflict, and gave them an idea of where next to *ahem* spread democracy. This tapped into another key factor of Helldivers 2’s creation.
“We consider the Galactic War as a tabletop roleplaying game, which is our main inspiration,” says Eriksson. “We created a Dungeon Master style concept [ called Joel] who controls various factions and respond to the often-surprising player actions, so the player-driven narrative is as much about you guys playing with us as it is about us playing with you. It’s a crazy way to make a video game, but we love it.”
April 2024 – Helldivers strike back
A month of great victory. Malevelon Creek was avenged with a decisive liberation of the jungle planet, resulting in April 3rd declared as Malevelon Creek Memorial Day. By Super Earth presidential decree, all Helldivers were granted a commemorative cape, and citizens were given a generous three minutes of remembrance (during their lunch break).
In retaliation, the Automatons mounted a full-scale attack… which the Helldivers crushed immediately. The hilariously swift victory didn’t go unnoticed by Arrowhead. “The players performed vastly better than we had planned for,” admits Eriksson. “One of the delights of working on a game where the players have this much agency is that it always keeps us on our toes.”
Of course, somehow, the Automatons returned…
May & June 2024 – more mechs and mission malfunctions
The heavy-duty introduction of the EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit allowed players to celebrate their dominance over the resurgent Automatons. This was a stark contrast to the repeated failure of the Helldivers’ attempts to succeed in tasks designed to aid the construction of MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines.
By June, the Helldivers were given a choice: attempt to retrieve vital materials from Marfark to finally earn the Anti-Tank Mines, or head to Vernen Wells to save stranded civilians inside Super Citizen Anne’s Hospital for Very Sick Children. The Corps chose the latter, giving up their third chance to gain the Anti-Tank Mines. However, in the real-world, Arrowhead was so impressed by this display of morals, that the developer donated $4,311 to the Save the Children charity.
July & August 2024 – Freedom for all
After the anti-tank rocket launcher MLS-4X Commando was added to the Helldivers’ arsenal in July, August saw two big milestones: the MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines were finally unlocked despite yet another Major Order failure, and the massive Escalation of Freedom update. The latter arrived with a number of tweaks and balances, a higher difficulty preset, new mission objectives, and the addition of the Impaler, Automaton Rocket Tanks, Reinforced Scout Strider, Alpha Commander, and Spore Charger threats.
For those seeking a new planet to discover, the swamp planet biome was also added, while armour-reducing acid storms provided a fresh environmental hazard for both players and enemies.
September to November 2024 – a celebration of liberty
The Helldivers’ courageous liberation of Tarsh and Mastia in September saw the Orbital Napalm Barrage stratagem unlocked, which was followed by the glory of Liberty Day on October 26 and the delivery of a free weapon and armour load to all in the celebration of Super Earth’s tireless quest for universal freedom.
By the time November rolled around, the focus had been shifted to the powerful Democracy Space Station becoming operational via the successful killing of 500 million Terminids.
However, these successes and celebrations were short-lived…
December 2024 to February 2025 – Illuminating the future
The return of the dreaded and ancient Illuminate flipped everything on its head, marked by the Omens of Tyranny update in December. Along with more tweaks, joining the reemergence of this deadly foe were new colony missions and the ability to call upon the Fast Reconnaissance Vehicle (FRV), capable of ploughing through some of the lighter enemies.
Omens of Tyranny was a major landmark for Arrowhead, with the team launching it at The Game Awards as they scooped Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer Game gongs.
“Working in the studio, the success of the game can sometimes seem abstract,” says Eriksson. “Going to award shows, actually meeting real people talking about their experiences, is amazing. It makes me realize that we’re actually having an impact on people’s lives.
“We see it as a huge responsibility. It tells us that we have to keep making this game the very best multiplayer experience it can be, and keep raising the bar and the expectations.”
And with the fight ongoing, there’s still plenty more surprises to come in Helldivers 2. “We’re just getting warmed up,” says Eriksson. “Expect drama, mounting threats (new and old) and, of course, the unexpected.
“We’re really honoured that people are having a great time in Helldivers 2, and from our point of view, this is just the beginning.”
