Helldivers 2 CEO Admits Studio Underinvested in Engine Technology
Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani has publicly acknowledged that the studio “underinvested” in technical infrastructure for Helldivers 2, which was built on the now-obsolete Autodesk Stingray engine. The cooperative shooter, released in 2024, has faced persistent technical issues including high CPU usage and crashes since launch. Jorjani made these admissions during discussions with fans, explaining that Arrowhead is one of only two studios still using the Stingray engine, the other being Fatshark with Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. The engine was originally developed by BitSquid, acquired by Autodesk in 2015, and had its official development discontinued in 2018.
Jorjani explained that Helldivers 2 was already in development when the Stingray engine was discontinued, forcing Arrowhead’s engineers to work without official support. “Our crazy engineers had to do everything themselves, developing the game to a level comparable to other engines without support,” said game director Johan Pilestedt in previous comments. The CEO noted that engines, including popular ones like Unreal Engine, “reward the effort you put into them,” and that no engine is inherently “better” even if technically obsolete. Arrowhead has been essentially working alone to improve the technology while planning years of additional content for Helldivers 2.
The technical state of Helldivers 2 became a significant problem last year, particularly with the “Into the Unjust” campaign release that pushed issues to a boiling point. After delaying content and implementing months of fixes, the game’s condition has reportedly improved substantially. Recent events like the “Cyberstan” invasion have proceeded more smoothly than previous activities. Jorjani stated, “I think we’ve made progress (both data and player feedback confirm this), but we’re still not satisfied. The situation can and will get better.” Despite improvements, issues remain including frame rate drops during rain effects, occasional first-person perspective locks, and objective completion bugs.
Arrowhead continues to develop deeper progression systems, additional war bonds, and new campaigns, with technical improvements expected alongside content updates. The studio’s performance is notable considering they’ve been working with an unsupported engine since before the pandemic. While Helldivers 2’s technical problems have been frustrating for players, they haven’t fundamentally undermined the game’s core fun factor. The fact that Arrowhead has managed to deliver such an engaging experience despite these engine limitations speaks to the team’s dedication and skill in overcoming significant technical hurdles.
