Helldivers 2 INSANE NEWS CEO of Arrowhead Stepping Down into Creative Role

The CEO of Arrowhead Johan Pilestedt is stepping down as CEO to the CCO for Helldivers 2. He wants to take a more active role in the creative process of the game! This is weirdly great news? Helldivers 2 new patches and updates have been a bit rough lately, and he recently took to twitter to agree with most players on this. Even saying that he was a creative on previous games and the business side of things weren't his forte. Now he's announced he's stepping down to fulfill a more creative role. #helldivers2

[@thiccfila]

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[@cephon6198]

the last time something like this happened, where a known person in the company joined the balance team, they got crucified online for atrocious balance changes

[@radracer01]

ama laugh at all the pro nerfers, cause even the CEO/CCO agree that nerfs were too much =)

[@GiftingStray]

It's almost unheard of for a CEO to care so much for a game to do this I fucking love Arrowhead.

[@Soknik01]

Most CEOs don't have talent for making games so it wouldn't make sense for them to step into a creative role.

[@MrVelociraptor75]

@@Soknik01 "Most CEOs don't have talent", there I fixed that sentence for you 🤣

[@olstar18]

Actually it isn't unheard of. What is unheard of is it being a good decision. Lot of people lost the business they built after stepping down.

[@Soknik01]

@@MrVelociraptor75 😂 I stand corrected!

[@v4n1ll4]

people seem to forget that this is just a bunch of words and nothing has happened yet, stop licking their boots jesus

[@weroleoify]

Pilestedt: "Fine, I'll do it myself"

[@robertarmstrong2323]

Alexis on hot seat?

[@tw1tchie]

@@robertarmstrong2323 We can only be so lucky 🤣

[@drewmantheoriginal3106]

I’m glad he isn’t leaving. He has done a great job connecting with players and listening to feedback. I can’t wait to see what he does.

[@sevroaubarca8745]

(Helldiver salute) Mad respect to Johan. How does he sit down with his massive balls? Legend. They keep making decisions that make me respect them more and more.

[@ElijahAc]

That's kinda insane, im not sure everyone would have seen it coming. But i think its a proof of hoe much he loves th game

[@thiccfila]

it is actually insane news, and is possibly the best news for future patches.

[@Canis.Lupus.Arctos]

"proof of hoe" is the best part of the comment... "..hoes B4 bros.." am I right, bruh? XD

[@generalrendar7290]

It sounds like this frees up more of his time to actually look into the game and communicate with the development team. Whereas the CEO role likely took a lot of his attention in other areas like advertising and running the business. He clearly wants to be a creative, hopefully this is a good change for the game.

[@Badmagix23]

This is actually exciting. I know talk is cheap, but he really seems to say the things that concern me.

[@thiccfila]

its actual INSANE BREAKING NEWS NOT CLICKBAIT like what ceo have you heard do this? I cant remember....

[@elfireii328]

Lol ceo got tired of the people working under him that he was like "fine, ill do it myself" Now im actually getting excited to see what he cooks up.

[@keenshibe7529]

Pilestedt is really self aware and went towards his strengths. I hope he does not overwork himself as from what it seems some of the players can be quite demanding. Speaking of which, do we have Alexus's take on the poor balancing and what he's going to do about it?

[@therandomcommenter6629]

"All the weapons are S tier" :Alexus:

[@Starwars-Fanboy]

​@therandomcommenter6629 Is that a real qoute 💀

[@prabhav1788]

@@Starwars-Fanboyprobably

[@Famousagentman]

@@Starwars-Fanboy It is a real quote, specifically referring to the "Polar Patriots" warbond, which had nothing but low-to-mid-tier weapons. Well, not counting the impact incendiary, which is the sole saving grace of this warbond that costs 1000 hard-earned super credits.

[@thehollowlingwin]

I'm sure after his last interactions with the community, he was banned by Pilestedt from ever directly interacting with the community again, especially after the community dug up his past 😆

[@EndlessTaverns]

There's a reason 'Twice as Equal' is based on Johan, he's always doing his best to do what's best for the game.

[@anthonyju6392]

Let's see if Pvt. Zim can pull the brain bug out of the hole. If so we can all go up to it and proudly proclaim, "ITS AFRAID"!!!

[@PhoenixAndTheGoetians]

massive step forward in the direction of the game, he's one of the only people whose responses don't reek of ego. such a legend

[@kompott_addict]

Lets hope the New ceo doesnt make the game hard filled with microtransactions. Bcs its "better for Business"

[@Paradox1012]

The only way it could even matter as the game is would be to ramp up production of warbonds and superstore armor but we all know they ain't increasing that cadence.

[@Misfiring89]

He's still the Chairman, so the CEO still answers to him.

[@noahrombough2802]

If his time in Paradox is any indication, I don't think that is a likely outcome. Paradox tends to focus on DLC/expansions to current games, so if the new guy uses that set-up, I think there's reason to hope

[@Michelle-kc8ht]

Guy who only talks about mtx in every comment section

[@ghoulbuster1]

Even if they added mtx, people ant buying until they fix the game.

[@CretinousJay]

PILESTEDT IS LITERALLY SAVING US 🔥

[@GameFuMaster]

The number 1 thing they need to do, is to give us all of the stats. It's much harder to give good feedback if people can't exactly tell you why a weapon sucks

[@Famousagentman]

I agree, perhaps they could have the current stats shown initially, but an option to "show advanced stats", which gives more detailed breakdowns of things like armor penetration, resupply amount, staggering power, etc.

[@GameFuMaster]

@@Famousagentman yeah. Having a summed up stats for less devoted players to make picking easier. But a proper stat breakdown (with enemies as well) for people really invested

[@oldgregg2500]

He had to wrangle Alexus Kravchenko lol.

[@LuxLikeGaming]

This is like Linus from LTT stepping down from being CEO of LTT to more involved with the actual content and not so much the business crap. This really should be the default way to go for all these people and companies that somehow stumbled into these positions and realize this is neither the thing they want, not what they can do best for their own company!

[@Razor_Regiment]

Except Linus is a dick. I don’t understand how anybody can watch that dude.At content creator gatherings he don’t give a shit who you are unless you have 1 million subs…saying things like who are you just because you want to say hello.

[@UrielTheRealOne]

Exactly what I was thinking.

[@Spectacular_Insanity]

Pilestedt is literally just like, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

[@thewerst8346]

Brilliant executive decision. The new CEO should take note. Quality of experience will keep us here.

[@RobertSpitzer]

I love your videos as they appear to have no clickbait, or fake outrage to spur engagement.

[@thiccfila]

when I give rage videos, its real lol

[@DuraheLL]

Wow, this could be huge. I love Pilestedt. I hope this will be as amazing as it sounds

[@CalebBurns-sv6lm]

I just hope this isn’t a result of Sony pressuring him about PSN. I could easily see Sony trying to put someone with less creative heart who could be easily pushed around because “business”

[@hamothemagnif8529]

I still like the idea of getting base armors for looks and then unlocking armor perk add-ons to customize your play style. You get the look and play you want.

[@adibemaxwell6111]

Lieutenant: "Well done, sergeant." Pilestadt: "Thank you, sir. But that would be... private, sir." Lieutenant: "Carry on, private!"

[@JSFal]

I love that his plan is "make my employees play the game more" sounds like wins all around

[@johnmcshane4463]

Bruh, imagine the gold that would come out of Alexus doing a livestream of him vs 9s. It would be either the sweetest vindication of all time or the sudden sad realization that he actually games, but still doesn't understand balance.

[@natehanson9672]

He seems to be one of the most community oriented leaders we’ve had in gaming in years and to see him do this to become more hands on with the game and the community is so encouraging for the long term health of the game! I’m so excited to see what the future holds

[@acidnine3692]

lets hope this is still good... and balance still happens

[@orfanclub6288]

Doesn't take balls, takes intergrity.

[@jhonybighorn7683]

Guy is tiered from fighting soules suits

[@actosh7670]

Good thing is he still is chairmen, and has the last word on everything arrowhead. He got some huge balls and u can see his passion for games when pulling such a move!

[@sahara8771]

QBRs are Quarterly Business Reviews.

[@shaco77]

This seems to be familiar situation like in the Linus tech tips. Linus wanted focus more on making videos on KZbin than on managing company. So he also stepped down as ceo (still owns LTT) and focuses more on doing videos

[@_Jay_Maker_]

Given that Pilestedt seemed to be the only voice of total sanity on the development team, seeing him pull a lateral and get hands-on with managing the creative aspect is legitimately one of the best things we could've heard out of AH. Hopefully he pulls a Lord Humongus and puts AH's Wez (Alexus) at the end of a short, short chain. He's got some integrity and actual reasonable standards, that's for sure.

[@Chickensea10]

PRAY FOR HELLDIVERS 2

[@protonjones54]

This is great news, he has said some great things about game design in the interview

[@burn1none]

this is kinda the exact opposite of what Miyazaki did at From Software which I find interesting. I think what Miyazaki did right is he set up a bunch of mini-Miyazaki's all throughout From Software before he stepped up to being CEO which ensured a consistent level of quality. Hopefully Pilestadt can achieve something similar because he seems like a legitimately passionate game creator which should be fostered in this day and age.

[@Disappointed_Philosoraptor]

Dangerous, that title gave me a heart attack. All too often have I seen the good people leave a game like this for good for some bloodsucking men in suits which only care about stock prices tsake over and ruin it. Good to know he stays in the company, and in a position which matters.

[@vik1837]

This was a suggestion over 5 weeks ago and I am glad he made the change. He’s still chairman but hopefully a stronger business person can handle those aspects while he builds great games starting with huge revitalizing patch for Had2. Hopefully they can move fast enough on this to turn it around.

[@joshizfly]

Big ups as always. Extra comment for the engagement

[@herpderp90]

I'm glad Johan is taking balance seriously. I don't think weapon balance is quite as bad as most people say, and can (mostly) be fixed with rescinding some weapon nerfs, and slightly buffing other weapons in certain aspects. The problem with weapons overall isn't necessarily about TTK, and more about how fun a weapon is, uniqueness, and overall utility.

[@atlgameslayergaming]

From what I've read his background is Dungeons and Dragons so gaming is in his blood. I think it's a smart move by him as it goes back to his core skills.

[@digitalon01]

What a freaking legend! I've really liked his comments with the community regarding HD2 feedback so IMO this is a huge win for the game as a whole. With him leading the creative direction the future for HD2 looks to be very bright!

[@destoc5661]

I think QBR is Quarterly Business Review.

[@Sharkie504]

This is just absolutely great news all around!

[@UnholyDrow]

Unironically went “fine, I’ll do it myself”

[@westleyramirez3036]

I'm subscribing to you dude, you deserve it because you're the only one I watch who doesn't do click baits like a bunch of channels do, let alone a yapper like other yapping HD2, KZbinrs, you get the point and you do so with facts and without anything useless like the others do. You're very reliable and I think more should subscribe to you (even though some people find your takes like the Polar Patriot crazy lol)

[@thiccfila]

lol i appreciate it. to elaborate, polar patriots had some great things in it. it wasnt the trash heap everyone was making it out to be. and all the other warbonds launched with the same amount of good vs bad items. i think what really ruined it was the advertising on arrowheads part setting up false expectations :D. thats what i said in the full vid lol

[@westleyramirez3036]

@@thiccfila I have to agree, the advertising ain't exactly making sense, let alone the armors while the previous one does make sense with some minor nitpicking which is the first page armor (my all-time favorite) because it is more of a gas mask fire resistant looking armor, but I'm not complaining much because it is a dope looking armor with my favourite perk in it. I do think they should definitely take another look at the warbond in particular and probably make some changes to it to fit the theme, but that's just asking a lot. Still I do like the weapons in it, and the tenders is certainly a better feeling gun than the lib

[@TheCrystalBlood]

Bile Spewers and Nursing Spewers are on my list of enemies that have way more HP than they should. I think Stalkers should also have their HP lowered by a little bit. Not too much, so they are still posing a threat you want to take care of asap, but toning down their ability to just tank through a lot of damage would go a long way, I think.

[@Starwars-Fanboy]

Alternatively, they could also make them easier to stagger.

[@thundersoul6795]

I think the spewers are fine stat-wise, it's the way they are spammed that's an issue. Most direct counters to a spewer-heavy composition that aren't the infinite grenade exploit are gonna run dry by the time you get to the extraction, and almost every direct counter to that composition leaves the team weaker against the heavier ones.

[@morgan3392]

I hope one thing that Pilestadt also focuses on in addition to TTK is the amount of enemy CC. I think the amount of rockets that automatons have is a big reason people prefer to fight bugs on average (yeah yeah, some prefer bots, player counts don't lie tho)

[@wutever8167]

He wants devs to play the game more and is trying to figure out why the game isn't fun? That's insane and unheard of.

[@joshizfly]

Thanks for covering this with no bullshit my guy

[@John-ht4th]

Really good idea I loved buying those armor sets. Definitely would get more if they release it!

[@DaniAdIg]

I nearly had a heart attack when I read the title but it turned to heart warmth instead. I have got to buy this freaking game soon!!!

[@qwe095]

When you take updates seriously...damn.

[@damienmcdonald7610]

Im loving this team man, this passion is something triple a companies could learn from and we need more like this. I know games are an industry but clearly theres a reason helldivers 2 is smashing it and a large part of it is passion like this

[@Alpha00Fox]

Bro went from President of Super Earth to Super Private.

[@SavagexRaccoon]

This is going to take some time but hopefully they can get some good balance patches out and start a test server soon the community needs it to give proper feedback before they do changes but a good step forward

[@theNormUKnow]

qbr= quarterly business report akahow much money they made during the quarter and other shiid🙌🏾💯 Keep up the great content

[@fenfrostpaws2000]

Hopefully this means the game will actually be fun again in the near future

[@snappa_tv]

QBRs are most likely Quarterly Business Reports from what it sounds like

[@Cos416]

Very nice to see him take the game seriously and invest in it being better for everyone.

[@nelis1385]

I have nothing but respect for him. I hope it works out great for the game and his career.

[@elimgarak1127]

New CEO could be a complete pushover for Sony. This is a major double edged sword. I respect his reasoning, if it was indeed his choice, but this is a wait and see thing. Armors, especially in classes, should be allocated to parts of the armor with heavier armor bringing more perks with it since the speed/armor makes little difference. We have helmets that do nothing when they could easily be vision augments for various conditions planet side. A lot of the higher difficulty modifiers are just flat out boring and make cooldowns/call ins redundant. There's a better way to tackle difficulty and as rational as the in game reasoning is, it doesn't translate to fun. From 7 to 9 the only difference is if I'm going to have a 4th stratagem or if the ones I do have take forever to cooldown/drop in. Snooze fest. They could swap it out for charger/titan nests (more heavy spawns in general) Swapping more light enemies for medium ones. Removing light enemies of one variety and replacing it with a ton of another. Lots of stuff to change for the better. If the new CEO cucks to Sony at all, game is done for. Probably won't see meaningful changes here for a while (3 months at least for balance stuff), especially if they keep the same asshat in charge of "balance" around.

[@Paradox1012]

For the TTK i think just making weakspots on all heavy units take far more dammage on medium penetrative weapons would just make it feel good (or just increase how much dammage the creature takes from all scources on those weakspots). All medium and light enemies are fine as they are. Its kind of only a problem for most heavy unit weakspots. Like, isnt it werid that for chargers and hulks its MMORE effective to shoot thier faces off with heavy weapons instead of hitting thier back weakspots?

[@zeroth88]

Sounds like what Linus did for LTT a few years back. I haven't consistently watched LTT enough to see if that was that beneficial to the company long term though. Hopefully this massively beneficial for HD2 though. It sounds like HD2 has been missing one of it's key designers for the past few months, and it shows.

[@adthgu6336]

QBR could mean quarterly business review

[@theknockingstar9649]

This was a helldive level move if you ask me, absolutely epic 💪

[@HellJustFroze]

I'm... cautiously optimistic about this.

[@TobiTheHuman]

This is a crazy move. What a legend! The problem I see is: If he new CEO knows how to CEO we might look at more micro transactions, and looking at the gaming industry right now, I am scared of that.

[@TheIvanMilky]

The hero we need

[@Turinnn1]

We rarely see smaller studio CEO step down and let someone (probably) more qualified to take the lead. Usually ego keeps them holding on even if they are overwhelmed.

[@levipaswaters3933]

Respect

[@BeepTalford-nu8mm]

Somebody needed to take the reins. Its good that he has jumped in to do that. Its bad that it is required. Hopefully he has been getting ahold of the pieces and working on getting the game moving again. I'd say all momentum seems lost at this point. Thats not good four months after launch.

[@Starphx]

QBR might be quarterly board reports i guess

[@Planterobeets]

The Mech suit went from a glass cannon to a fragile mobile machine-gun sentry. The list of horrible nerfs is insane. But now there's hope.

[@Canis.Lupus.Arctos]

Well, good! Arrowhead made this game, right now they sure seem a little lost, but ultimately the talent is there, hopefully he'll be able to steer the ship back in course... Also I called it way back, them devs are not playing the game, this much is clear, otherwise they would know _why_ rebalancing doesn't feel good... Yup, bullet sponges very rarely "feel" good to play against... If you look back, all games highly praised for their shooting are the ones that require some skills (accuracy/tactics/etc) but are also snappy and fast to dispatch... That combined w/ the right volume of enemies... And you know what would work better for Helldivers2? Rock/paper/scissors type of approach (kinda) and being able to 1-tap hunters, and while I don't mind needing a "special" weapon to deal w/ heavies (chargers/tanks/titans/etc) being able to not take a whole "work day" to kill them would be great! A bullet spongy enemy would be okay, again kinda, if were like a big boss (one of a kind type and whatnot)

[@sandinet_YT]

QBR - Quarterly Business Review...so yes you were absolutely right 😆

[@Rathbone_fan_account]

You know what? Good for him.

[@themasterchef9784]

I heard Paradox and now I’m pondering… isn’t Paradox know for it’s overpriced dlc content? A minor concern as it’s only one guy but it had me concerned…

[@scottl9660]

Paradox makes games I should love as a long time war gamer and yet I stopped buying them because they make a Minimally Viable Product then sell you all the other parts of the game that should be part of the base package as DLC’s. I’m wary about that ethic being at the officer level of any organization.

[@death-thresh9548]

I think this is a really good sign for the future of Helldivers 2.

[@WatermelonMan6726]

Every employee is equally important to the development effort, but Johan is the most important.

[@dekeaustin]

I think this is a great step in the right direction 💯💪🎉🎉🎉

[@PonsterMenis98]

Kinda hoping they don’t change any armor unless it’s adding helmet passives or something similar. Or just straight up new armor passives. The system they have is great in that regard and honestly the game feels incredibly balanced currently. Idk…it’s a fine line to walk when it comes to these balances. Don’t want the game to feel easier than it is currently but some changes will be cool if done right.

[@icata12345]

Pilestedt is a gem of person, really love to see someone caring about their game for a change!

[@-The-Golden-God-]

This is an outstanding development

[@radtzerthecommanda8523]

SO if he is going to take the lead on creative does that Alex the previous balance Will no longer have power? According to discord and KZbin that guy crew hello nieghborn 2

[@HarryVoyager]

Honestly this sounds like it's going to be awesome.

[@morgan3392]

This is absolutely wild to me. He looked at what was happening, was like "I don't have time for this CEO nonsense if I want to do what _really_ matters!" And just fucking going back into the trenches. It makes me think of Jeff Bezos stepping down from CEO of Amazon to focus more on Blue Origin, his space company. Though, like, a better person in general.

[@TrixterTheFemboy]

I really really hope he does better than Alexus. I think he will, just hope that's confirmed

[@AK-py1ds]

Good move. Now they can focus on being more creative. Primary weapons and Strategem weapons need a lot of work. No PVP, forget about “balance”.

[@CasualTS]

It's good to recognize when your strengths aren't in alignment with your job. I like this Jorjani guy. He's correct in that oftentimes the "rock star" of a game studio is not the CEO. Everyone knows who John Carmack is, but can you name the CEO of id Software?

[@marc-andrelachapelle5707]

Hope, it's right decision. He seems a good communicator as CEO. Hopefully, his successor will do the same.

[@aaronhumphrey3514]

This really says it all when it comes to how unhappy he is with the direction dummies like Alexus have taken the game.

[@ramsenc]

This should be a movie.

[@DrLimeGreen]

pilestedt my beloved

[@l1ghtd3m0n3]

Initially I thought Sony forced him to step down (y'know, over the PSN shit), but the truth that he just wants to be more hands-on means it'll likely be for the best in the long run We just have to hope the new CEO doesn't relent to the suits

[@josegamurca]

From the perspective that they need more hands working it makes sense, however, a rare thing in these days.

[@Eneeki]

QBR is the quarterly investor report.

[@ferdithetank7535]

Huge W, hopefully this won't backfire in terms of new CEO being more gullible or ignorant. I see this as a big turning point in game's further development.

[@stennan]

GG and based leadership move from Johan. Knowing what you can do best for the passion project you spent 7 years creating is to pull back on your business admin work and get back to making it fun. Big respect to the man 👍