Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilestedt has announced that he is taking a break from heading up development. Pilestedt made the announcement through a post on social media platform X, where he also revealed that he had been working non-stop since 2013.
“Hey everyone! I am gonna do a sabbatical for a while,” announced Pilestedt. “I know a lot of you are going to think “por qué?” – well, while you have enjoyed [Helldivers 2] for almost a year, I have been living it since early 2016, and with [Helldivers] – its since 2013.”
Pilestedt goes on to talk about how he would like to take a sabbatical in order to refresh himself and reconnect with his family and friends. He does mention that Helldivers 2 will continue to get supported throughout his sabbatical by Arrowhead Game Studios, however.
“11 years of working “around the clock” on the same IP has made me set aside family, friends and my lovely wife… and myself,” posted Pilestedt. “I am going to take some time now to redeem what was lost from all of those that supported me for over a decade.”
Shortly after the announcement, Pilestedt revealed that he is kicking off his sabbatical by hosting a game jam alongside senior developers and founders of Arrowhead Game Studios. Unfortunately, the game itself didn’t turn out so well, with Pilestedt stating that the journey is sometimes the goal in itself.
Pilestedt has stated that, once he returns from his sabbatical, he will begin work on the next major title by Arrowhead Game Studios.
Earlier this month, Pilestedt had announced that he had already begun work on a high concept for the next game that would be developed by the studio. He took to social media to ask fans what they would like the next game to be, with many responding with their own ideas set in the Helldivers universe.
When it comes to Helldivers 2, recently, the game got an update that aimed to fix crashes and jittering that would happen when players would use ADS while having a scope attached to their weapons. The update also brought with it fixes to other issues, like one with the STA-X3 W.A.S.P. Launcher’s targeting, and the rate of players getting disconnected while hopping into Illuminate missions.
For more details about Helldivers 2, check out our review from back when it came out last year. Also check out the announcement of a Helldivers movie.
Hey everyone!
I am gonna do a sabbatical for a while!
I know a lot of you are going to think “por qué?” – well, while you have enjoyed @helldivers2 for almost a year, I have been living it since early 2016, and with @HelldiversGame – its since 2013.
11 years of working “around…
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) January 27, 2025
And to kick this sabbatical off, we start with a game jam with the most senior devs/founders of @ArrowheadGS.#WellRested? 🫠 pic.twitter.com/9X0nDObF5n
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) January 27, 2025
Haha yeah, and the one we made… wasn’t that great 🤣
Sometimes, you’ve just got to reconnect with yourself and your bros. The journey is sometimes the goal.
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) January 27, 2025
