On February 8 this year, "Helldivers 2" was released after eight years of development, and exceeded all expectations.
It was very surreal, I would say, says Maria Cornelius.
For a game that relies on online cooperation, the success brought major technical issues. It was hard to log in, find other players, and when you finally got in, the game often crashed.
Arrowhead had built up a maximum capacity of 150,000 simultaneous players on the servers. They needed to quickly scale up to accommodate 700,000.
We set a limit there. We don't know how many it would have been if we had lifted the limit completely. So it was a time of extreme problem-solving.
Cheaper became better
But the technicians managed to "tinker with their knees", and "Helldivers 2" stabilized over the coming weeks.
What was it then that made "Helldivers 2" succeed in a time when many titles flop? Cornelius believes that a combination of the game's cooperative nature and how new content is handled – players can, but don't have to, pay for it – are success factors.
As soon as someone gets hooked, they want to bring their friends along. Then it matters that "Helldivers 2" is a few hundred kronor cheaper than full-price games, reasons Maria Cornelius.
The friction to convince friends to try becomes much lower.
Billion-dollar sales
The game has sold 12 million copies, which corresponds to around 5 billion kronor. Hundreds of thousands log in every week. The studio has grown by 30 people to 145 since the release. All developers are working on "Helldivers 2".
We really want to dedicate ourselves to it for a long time.
Several award statuettes stand in the office reception. More can soon be added, when The Game Awards – often described as the Oscars of the gaming world – takes place on the night of the 13th. "Helldivers 2" has four nominations.
I feel that the awards coming in – they just feel so good for everyone; for the studio that I'm so proud of, but also for the industry to know that it's possible. Even when it's tough projects and challenges, it can turn out really well, says Maria Cornelius.
The Game Awards is an annual gala that since 2014 has awarded outstanding games and individuals in the gaming world.
This year's edition of The Game Awards will be broadcast on the night of December 13 from Los Angeles, hosted by Geoff Keighley.
The nominations have been made by 100 media companies and other influencers, who will then, together with the public, select the winners.
Swedish nominations: "Helldivers 2", Arrowhead – best ongoing, best community support, best multiplayer game, and best action game. "Star Wars Outlaws", Ubisoft Massive, – best action/adventure, accessibility innovation, and best voice acting (Humberly González). "Lorelei and the Laser Eyes", Simogo – best indie game.
Most nominations: "Astro Bot" and "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth", seven each.
Nominated in the category Game of the Year: "Astro Bot", "Balatro", "Black Myth: Wukong", "Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree", "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth", "Metaphor: ReFantazio".
Sources: The Game Awards, IGN.
