Today, Arrowhead Game Studios is one of the most popular video game developers in the world, all thanks to the highly popular co-op game, Helldivers 2. The independent studio is well-known for its efforts to make sure players get the most out of their gaming experience but they’re not new to this. The studio’s first game, Magicka, was released in 2011 and shortly after that, Arrowhead shaped the post-release content using players’ feedback.
Since day one, Arrowhead Game Studios has focused on giving players what they want. Their formula hasn’t changed at all because this is what saved Helldivers 2 from dying. There was a period when Helldivers 2 lost most of its fanbase, but Sony is to be partially blamed for that.
Over a decade ago, Arrowhead Game Studios’ developers who worked on the studios’ first game, Magicka, appeared for an interview with Sidequesting to talk about the game. During the conversation, the devs were asked if they planned to make post-release content before the game’s release. They replied,
Not really – we had a million ideas of course – and once player feedback started pouring in we sorted through those ideas and made the ones we felt gamers wanted the most.
Magicka was a massive hit, in fact, it was named Game of the Year 08 at the Swedish Game Awards 2008. It was released via Steam for Microsoft Windows on January 25, 2011. Many expansion packs were released for the game, plus a PvP mode was also introduced.
This is what Arrowhead is known for even today. Helldivers 2 was a worldwide sensation but it was the post-release content that helped it solidify its place as a good co-op game. It is one of the best games in the world right now, however, the journey was full of setbacks.
Helldivers 2 was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows in February 2024 and quickly became one of the most popular games in the world. The game kept players hooked for months, however, the concept quickly became repetitive and boring. Players criticized the studio for adding exciting content but it still didn’t damage the game’s reputation as much as the PSN account linking policy did. Sony stepped in and tried to force all PC players to link a PSN account to play the game, however, it completely backfired as players uninstalled the game and left bad reviews.
The policy was revoked but the damage was done and Arrowhead was left with a game that was on the verge of dying. The studio came up with a new strategy and decided to use players’ feedback to shape the game. A lot of fan-favorite weapons were buffed, which convinced many to return to the game. With most technical issues solved, the studio rolled out the Omens of Tyranny update, adding a new enemy faction to the game.
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