Latest news with #JohanPilestedt
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Helldivers 2' Studio's Next Game Will Be Free From PlayStation Partnership
Helldivers 2 Arrowhead In an era of struggling PlayStation live service offerings, some of which will never see the light of day, a bright spot for Sony has been the huge success of Helldivers 2, the ongoing, co-op PvE game where players band together to fight bugs, bots and now rather smart aliens. Now, it's been revealed that Helldivers 2 has done so well, that developer Arrowhead's next game is going to be all theirs, and there will be no more Playstation partnership resulting in one-console exclusivity. Here's Arrowhead's Shams Jorjani on Discord: And then responding to a comment wondering about perhaps anything negative about the partnership with Sony, which is not ending, at least for the time being: Helldivers 2 Arrowhead So there's no bad blood here, Arrowhead just wants to make a game that is independent and not reliant on a specific deal so they can 'call 100% of those shots.' What this means is that whatever Arrowhead's next game ends up being will no doubt launch on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch 2 and PC, at the very least. Though it's unclear how long development will take so we could be talking about PS6 or Xbox Series X-2 (not sure what else to call that one). In January of 2025, Helldivers 2's creative director Johan Pilestedt said that 'planning and conceptualization' had begun on the next game, but again, that suggests that it is very far off. Helldivers 2 is a sequel to the original Helldivers way, way back in 2015, but it seems unlikely that whatever this new game is will take another nine years. We do not have any idea what it's about, though it is almost certainly not going to be Helldivers 3. In the past, Arrowhead has done two fantasy games (Magicka and Gauntlet) and a modern shooter (The Showdown Effect). So it's a wide range of possibilities, and now with more resources and freedom to do whatever they want. We should all look forward to whatever that is. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bafta Games Awards 2025: Astro Bot wins top prize
Astro Bot has been named best game at this year's Bafta Games 3D platformer, starring the PlayStation mascot character, won five awards in total at the prestigious ceremony in director Nicolas Doucet dedicated the biggest prize of the night to developers who "had "inspired others to join the industry"."They give us the energy, the passion and the will to become magicians," said the head of Sony-owned studio Team Asobi. It was a good night overall for Sony as its other big 2024 hit, Helldivers 2, picked up two awards for best multiplayer and squad-based shooter was a surprise hit when it was released, and its makers had to race to boost server capacity to meet early demand. Accepting the multiplayer award, Johan Pilestedt, chief creative officer at developer Arrowhead, said players had reached out to him to say Helldivers 2 had reconnected them with gamer friends from 10 to 15 years ago. "That's such an honour," he told the crowd at Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's South Bank. Thank Goodness You're Here! - a comedy cartoon game made by two friends from Yorkshire - won the award for best British is set in the fictional northern town of Barnsworth, heavily inspired by developers Will Todd and James Carbutt's home town of Barnsley in South quirky title features voice performances from the pair, as well as actor Matt the prize, the two friends said: "We hope this inspires you to tell your own story in your own voice without compromise." The Bafta Games Awards, which launched 21 years ago, have earned a reputation as causing major 2023, Vampire Survivors, a game made by a tiny British team, beat Sony's big-budget blockbuster God of War: Ragnarok to bag the best game had tipped Balatro - the poker-inspired card game made by an anonymous, lone developer known as LocalThunk - to pip Astro Bot to the award this it was Astro Bot's night, with the game winning best animation, audio achievement, family game and game design - as well as best game. Balatro did, however, win best Ben Starr, accepting the award on the developer's behalf, approached the stage in make-up and a jester's hat - an outfit inspired by the game's character the speech, he joked that developer LocalThunk was "really rich now" and urged the audience to "play more independent games... they are the lifeblood of this industry". Legendary composer Yoko Shimomura accepted the Bafta fellowship in recognition of her contribution to best known for her work on the Kingdom Hearts series, from Japanese publisher Square Enix, she recalled how she had "felt like giving up" on her work many times."The fact I am standing here at all is no thanks to my own efforts, but to the people who have supported me," she said in her acceptance speech."I feel if the music I have made has resonated with one person and touched their hearts in one way, it was worth it." Meanwhile, Still Wakes the Deep - a horror game set on a Scottish oil rig in the 1970s - swept the lead and supporting performance categories, and was also named best new intellectual Abubakar Salim, known for performances in Assassin's Creed and HBO's House of the Dragon, gave an emotional speech as he collected the games beyond entertainment award.A keen gamer, he set up his own development company and its debut release, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, was inspired by the grief he felt at the loss of his Saga: Hellblade II, which went into the ceremony with 11 nominations, went home with just one award: technical achievement. Bafta Games Awards 2025 - the winners in full: Animation: Astro BotArtistic achievement: NevaAudio achievement: Astro BotBafta fellowship: Yoko Shimomura (composer)Best game: Astro BotBritish Game: Thank Goodness You're Here!Debut game: BalatroEvolving game: Vampire SurvivorsFamily game: Astro BotGame beyond entertainment: Tales of Kenzera: ZAUGame design: Astro BotMultiplayer: Helldivers 2Music: Helldivers 2Narrative: Metaphor: ReFantazioNew intellectual property: Still Wakes the DeepLeading performance: Alec Newman as Caz in Still Wakes the DeepBest supporting actor: Karen Dunbar as Finlay in Still Wakes the DeepTechnical achievement: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Helldivers 2 is having players return to 'space Vietnam' as the Automatons have returned one year after we liberated Malevelon Creek
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. If you've been playing Helldivers 2 since launch, you no doubt have memories of trying to liberate Malevelon Creek, which fell to the Automaton menace before the soldiers of Super Earth finally took it back months later. However, just one year on from the day the brave Helldivers liberated what the fanbase has dubbed 'Robot Vietnam' and mere days before 'Malevelon Creek Memorial Day,' those robot villains have invaded once again. Last week, the failure of a Major Order caused the Automatons to seize land in the Severin Sector, leading many to realize a return to Malevelon Creek was inevitable. And now the Helldivers 2 Twitter account has confirmed that the invasion is on. The tweet announced a new Major Order for the soldiers of Super Earth: "The Automatons have launched vigorous assaults on multiple planets. A large-scale offensive appears to be underway, led by the Incineration Corps. Immediate action is demanded." Adding, "All Helldivers are called to defend and hold Malevelon Creek. To unite, and unleash Super Earth's righteous Justice with the fullest permitted fury." Naturally, the representatives of Super Earth are also sickened by the Automaton menace's chosen date to invade, with the tweet saying, "This hallowed ground is the resting place of many, many brave Helldivers whose ultimate sacrifices freed the planet from the Automatons early in the War. Now, the enemy seeks to defile their graves—obviously having calculated that seizing the planet on the upcoming Malevelon Creek Memorial Day would result in the greatest net desecration." With the Helldivers account adding something, we were all thinking, "Super Earth will never tolerate such an outrageous affront to decency." Helldivers 2 director Johan Pilestedt recently spoke about the ongoing troubles the games industry is facing right now, saying that it's "unnecessarily brutal" right now "because we don't diversify enough."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
《絕地戰兵2》執行長曾呼籲玩家「先別買遊戲」，事後遭索尼官方打電話關切
去年爆紅的多人合作射擊遊戲《絕地戰兵2》（Helldivers 2），成為 PlayStation 史上銷售速度最快的遊戲。但不少人應該還記得，《絕地戰兵2》遊戲發行初期因大量玩家湧入，導致伺服器不堪負荷經常斷線。而《絕地戰兵2》開發商 Arrowhead Game Studios 執行長 Johan Pilestedt，近日在 GDC 2025 開發者大會演講中，回顧了這段混亂的時期。 根據外媒 PCGamer 報導，Pilestedt 提到《絕地戰兵2》上市後受獲得玩家熱烈歡迎，口耳相傳下，直接引爆玩家社群，讓當時的開發團隊措手不及。由於伺服器難以承受超乎預期的龐大玩家數量，導致大量的斷線情況和玩家抱怨，Pilestedt 更是直接在在 X（推特）上建議玩家可以等伺服器穩定後再購買。 然而言論卻讓 Pilestedt 坦言收到索尼的關注，在他發文後沒多久，馬上接到 PlayStation 高層的電話，質問他：「你到底在搞什麼鬼？」。雖然 Pilestedt 的立意良善，但此讓玩家等遊戲穩定後再購買的言論，很顯然與索尼傳統觀念背道而馳。儘管如此，《絕地戰兵2》的銷售並沒有受到影響，仍然成為了接續 1 月的《幻獸帕魯》後，2024 年第二款千萬等級的大作。 If you have no cash, get it later. While we made a really fun game it's worth waiting until the servers can support the capacity.I mean, as a CEO I of course want the game to be as profitable as possible, but if you spent yr last $ and got stuck in server queues I'd be 💔 — Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) February 20, 2024 緊貼最新科技資訊、網購優惠，追隨 Yahoo Tech 各大社交平台！ 🎉📱 Tech Facebook： 🎉📱 Tech Instagram： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 社群： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 頻道： 🎉📱 Tech Telegram 頻道：
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Johan Pilestedt is taking a sabbatical from Helldivers 2 after working 'around the clock' for 11 years, will move on to 'the next Arrowhead game' when he returns
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Arrowhead boss Johan Pilestedt is taking a break. The chief creative officer, who has been the face of Helldivers 2 through the ups and downs of its first year, will be on a sabbatical from the studio for "a while," and when he returns, he'll be working on a different game. "I know a lot of you are going to think 'por qué?' Pilestedt posted on X earlier today. "Well, while you have enjoyed Helldivers 2 for almost a year, I have been living it since early 2016, and with Helldivers [overall]—its since 2013." Helldivers 2's lengthy development might surprise some fans—the Sony-backed co-op shooter was not on the radar of most PC gamers before its release in February 2024, but the story of Helldivers dates back to the 2015 original, a top-down shooter made at a much smaller scale. Arrowhead spent years adapting the first game's core loop—stratagems, bugs, bots, the interactive galactic war—to a grandiose third-person shooter. "11 years of working 'around the clock' on the same IP has made me set aside family, friends and my lovely wife... and myself," Pilestedt continued. "I am going to take some time now to redeem what was lost from all of those that supported me for over a decade. "I am sure my friends at Arrowhead will do their utmost in the meantime to deliver amazing stuff to Helldivers 2." Back in May 2024, during a stretch of unpopular balance updates and the PSN sign-in fiasco, Pilestedt stepped aside from his CEO role at Arrowhead to focus completely on "games and the community." In the weeks after Helldivers 2's surprise Omens of Tyranny update in December, the chief creative officer has been talking about what comes next. Now, it's official. "When I'm back, I will start working on the next Arrowhead game." His first order of business as a man on sabbatical? Participating in a game jam with Arrowhead devs and founders. Does Johan know what "not working" means? 2025 games: This year's upcoming releasesBest PC games: Our all-time favoritesFree PC games: Freebie festBest FPS games: Finest gunplayBest RPGs: Grand adventuresBest co-op games: Better together
