Ex-Helldivers 2 dev reveals PlayStation hit was almost a completely different game

It’s hard to imagine Helldivers 2 as something other than the surprising live service hit that it is. According to a former Lead Writer however, it very nearly was.

Helldivers 2 comes with a lot of the fare that is often maligned in live service titles. Battle passes, timed challenges, material grinding, it’s all there.

Despite that, it’s one of the few games that has gotten the formula right. Where other recent attempts in the genre like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Skull & Bones seem to have fallen short, Helldivers 2 has an astounding grip on players.

Given how successful the game has been, it’s easy to assume that the final idea had been crystalized from the outset. In a recent interview with Inverse, former Lead Writer Russ Nickel revealed that wasn’t the case at all.

“For a while, Arrowhead didn’t know if the sequel was going to be a live-service title. But as we talked about it more, it was clear that this would make for such a cool live service experience, one where the story can change constantly so it really does feel alive,” Nickel revealed. “This feels like what live service was born to do.”

He’s referring to the fluid nature of Helldivers 2’s narrative helmed by Joel, an all-seeing game master who reacts to players’ collective successes and failures. This style of storytelling is a big part of what has players so engaged in the game according to the former dev.

“You build the sandbox with plans,” Nickel elaborated, “but you have to be able to let go of those plans. I love how collaborative it is. It’s so crazy to me that right now there’s a dungeon master who is playing a game with 10 million people, and they’re all collaborating on a story.”

Nickel came on fairly late in Helldivers 2’s development so it’s hard to imagine what the game was before he arrived. “When I joined, there was already a game that was fun to play. And then the back half of development was adding in the narrative and figuring out exactly what that playable prototype would become.”

Given how well Helldivers 2’s gameplay lends itself to live service, it’s hard to imagine how it would have been packaged otherwise. Despite that, it appears that the style of narrative delivery is actually what led the team to the genre.