Helldivers 2 studio CEO says you’re not getting a story mode because “that’s like building an entirely new game”

Helldivers 2 Viper Commandos
(Image credit: Sony)

The CEO of Helldivers 2's developer says we're not getting a story mode to complement the online-only game because that would be "like building an entirely new game."

Over the past day, Shams Jorjani, who just relatively recently took over as the CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, responded to a query on Twitter. As seen below, one user wanted a story mode filled with "epic moments and tragic scenes," and Jorjani responded with "not happening. Sorry bro."

The reasoning for a Helldivers 2 story mode not happening? It's simple: "That's like building an entirely new game," according to Jorjani. It's not like Arrowhead can just string together a few single-player missions with various objectives and call it a day, after all.

What about new mission types? What about new NPCs, plus their potential voice lines, animations, and AI? Would the single-player mode be intrinsically linked to Helldivers 2's online portion, like offering XP and in-game currency gains for completing missions?

All this, and a hell of a lot more, would have to be considered by Arrowhead for a single-player mode, which is to say nothing of the added strain on the studio itself. Who would playtest all the new single-player missions? You can be sure Arrowhead's testers are already hard at work balancing and adjusting weapons, animations, UI elements, and more.

Helldivers 2 just received its biggest-ever patch yesterday, June 13, with over 100 new changes and tweaks to elements of the game including weapons, Stratagems, and even the Galactic War table. Maybe hold off on asking anything more of Arrowhead for the time being.

After unleashing 100 changes, Helldivers 2 boss says the team is still looking into more Stratagem improvements: "We are not done."

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.