The head of the Arrowhead Games studio revealed the origins of the name Helldiverse 2, which was close to his heart. It contracts two expressions, in addition to being a reference to World War II.
With already 12 million sales achieved on PlayStation 5 and PC, Helldiverse 2 is one of the biggest successes of 2024. It is here to stay, if the developers continue to fuel this global conflict led by a “game master” (who will perhaps one day be replaced by an AI). Arrowhead Games is also remarkable in its communication. Johan Pilestedt, its CEO, is for example ready to share some secrets, such as the origin of the name “Helldivers”.
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The person revealed some behind the scenes of the creation ofHelldiverse 2 in a post published on the PlayStation Blog on May 16. We discover where this name comes from, which literally evokes a dive into hell. “ On an emotional level, we wanted the name of the game to evoke the feeling of finding yourself facing insurmountable challenges and almost certain death. “, he confides.
Where does the name Helldivers come from?
The name “Helldivers” is actually the contraction of two expressions: “war is hell” and “diving into war”. Obviously, “Wardivers” would have sounded less good than “Helldivers”. “ We also wanted a name that directly referred to what players will do in-game. “, he explains. Part ofHelldiverse 2 is enough to understand what he means by that: on certain planets, the conflict can quickly become spectacular – especially in the face of terrible automatons.
“Helldivers” also hides a more obscure reference to the Second World War, in this case to a US Navy military plane, nicknamed “The Beast” (Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, its real name). It was part of the dive bomber category. After a maiden flight in 1940, it was sent on a mission for the first time in 1943, to the Pacific Ocean, to fight Japanese forces.
“ The name fit so well that it never changed from our initial thoughts to the final result », concludes Johan Pilestedt, visibly proud of his brainstorming. He dreams of revolutionize the industry ” thanks to ” cooperative games in a purely fantasy spirit “. Nonchalantly, Helldiverse 2 is building a great reputation since its launch in February, and the way the content is evolving is a lesson for others.
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