Helldivers 2 boss shuts down Sony acquisition rumours

As mechs confirmed, and new patch adds balancing.

Image credit: Arrowhead

No, PlayStation is not buying Helldrivers 2 studio Arrowhead.

Yesterday, rumours began circulating that Sony was on the cusp of sealing a deal to acquire the developer, following the successful launch of Helldivers 2 earlier this year.

However, the game’s director Johan Pilestedt has shut these rumours down, saying they are “fake”.

Helldivers 2 – Report for Duty Trailer | PS5 & PC Games. Watch on YouTube

Replying to one user on X, who had shared a post regarding the speculative acquisition, Pilestedt said: “This is fake… Unless I’ve missed something”. The director also commented that the artwork for this supposed deal was using “a really shitty old logo from 2008 or so”.

The director also replied to another user suggesting an acquisition announcement could be on the way soon, stating: “This is the first I hear of this…”

This is fake… Unless I’ve missed something 🤔

Also, a really shitty old logo from 2008 or so when we just started the studio.

— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) March 6, 2024
It’s been a busy time for the Helldivers 2 team on social media. Along with debunking acquisition rumours, the developer has also confirmed mechs will finally be making their way onto the battlefields in the near future. Recent gameplay footage of Helldivers 2 showed off in-game playable mechs, even though they weren’t available to users in the public version of the game.

Image credit: Arrowhead

“The EXO-45 Patriot Exosuits are in full production in the factories of Tien Kwan,” the Helldivers 2 account teased yesterday, along with some artwork. While it stopped short of giving an exact date of when we can expect to see mechs in the game, the developer said it will be “soon”, so keep your eyes peeled.

Rounding out this morning’s news, as I was writing the studio announced a new patch for PC and PS5. This patch will introduce planetary hazards, balancing updates for a select number of weapons, and a variety of fixes.

You can read the full patch notes for Helldivers 2 on Steam.

Along with today’s changes, the studio also shared a list of known issues as part of the patch notes, which have either been introduced because of today’s patch, or are just still being worked on. These include various potential crashes, freezes, and UI issues.

Writing on the Helldivers 2 Discord, game designer Alex K said the team approaches balancing with the goal to give players a “wide range of weapon choices, where each gun has a purpose and none is strictly better than another”. The developer said they appreciated some players have favourites when it comes to weapons, and it can “suck” when these are nerfed. However, they believe these preferences shouldn’t be based upon “the universally agreed knowledge of which gun is the strongest” or best.

“Generally, we balance each item according to its quirks, so if a weapon is very effective at what it does, it should come with significant disadvantages to balance its power,” Alex K said, adding the “AC-8 Autocannon is a good example of a well-balanced weapon” as it “packs a powerful punch, has a very good range, but requires you to carry an ammo backpack or have a friend assist you”.

They continued: “Weapons that are both powerful and versatile become a no-brainer choiсe during the weapon selection phase. It robs you of your own agency, as stale ‘meta’ builds force you to make an unfair choice between a fun weapon and an effective one. In short: Powerful weapons can’t be too versatile, versatile weapons can’t be too powerful.”

The developer asked that players avoid comparing any items that have been changed with this update to their older versions, and rather “evaluate the existing one as it is and see if it still has a place in your heart”.

Phew, that was a lot of Helldivers chat! But, who can blame me? The game has been an incredible experience so far. As Emma Kent wrote in Eurogamer’s Helldivers 2 review, “it’s a wonderfully slapstick co-op experience” full of “high-chaos, high-comedy firefights”.

Also, did you know there is a guy named Joel working behind the scenes on Helldivers 2 like a Dungeons and Dragons-style Games Master?