Helldivers 2 is having a great year so far. The game just got new heavy weapons, and the robot enemies called Automatons have stolen something like a space station that can destroy planets. This sets up the next big battle between Super Earth and the Cyborgs on their planet called Cyberstan. What should players expect from this next part of the space war and what’s coming next for the game?
p>A gaming website called IGN talked with Mikael Eriksson, who leads the Helldivers 2 team at Arrowhead. They discussed what the team wants to do with these live events and how they’re changing the story based on how well players do.
The big battle starts on February 10th (that’s tomorrow). The Helldivers will have to take over the dangerous planet
. “Players can win or lose, and it will be really fun to watch what happens,” Eriksson said. He mentioned that earlier events, like defending Super Earth, could have turned out badly. “After that, everyone at work had fun, except maybe the Game Master who was a little nervous.”
How much can what players do really change the game’s story and content? Eriksson used board games like Dungeons & Dragons as an example. He said there’s a main story, but players can make choices that change small things. But if players fail badly, bad things can happen: “We know players will go to Cyberstan, but we don’t know how it will end. We don’t know if they’ll win or lose. This will affect the whole space war. The story of the war will change based on what players do. It can have big results. Planets can be destroyed and never playable again. That kind of thing can happen.”
Helldivers 2 is a game that keeps going forever, even though it doesn’t have many things that make you feel like you’re missing out. This can make new players confused about the story and what’s happening in the game world. “We’re working hard to make sure that whether you’re new or have played for a while, you can easily understand what’s happening and why we’re fighting right now,” Eriksson said. It’s easy to compare this to another game called Destiny 2, which has trouble teaching new players. The big difference is that Destiny 2 has a much more complicated story and world.
Eriksson agreed that having a simple idea that players can understand quickly is a good thing. This helps the team make new content and stories quickly, and Arrowhead doesn’t want to move away from that. The game will keep changing and growing, but the team knows they have to be careful not to make the game too complicated for players who just want a fun escape.
“Making Helldivers as a game that keeps getting updates is wonderful,” the game director said. “It has such an interesting world with endless possibilities, and we have lots of ideas that haven’t been made yet.” He promised there’s much more coming… as long as players keep playing. So far, I’d say this is one of the few games that keeps getting updates that has been very successful, and other game companies could learn from it.
