Arrowhead Game Studios

**Arrowhead Game Studios AB** is an independent Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. It was founded in 2008 by students of Luleå University of Technology in Skellefteå, with co-founder Johan Pilestedt serving as the company's CEO.

Arrowhead is best known for their 2015 top-down shooter *Helldivers*, which was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and received positive reviews for its uncompromising gameplay and humor. In May 2023, Arrowhead announced a new title with Sony, a sequel called *Helldivers 2*.

## History

### 2008 - 2013: Early years and projects

Arrowhead Game Studios was founded by Johan Pilestedt, Emil Englund, Malin Hedström, Anton Stenmark and Robin Cederholm, all students of Luleå University of Technology, which was located in Skellefteå, Sweden. Pilestedt, a game designer, became the newly-formed studio's chief-executive-officer. While attending the Swedish Game Awards of 2008, which was held at the university, Pilestedt and his friends thought of creating a video game to win at the awards.

Arrowhead's first game was *Magicka*, which was first conceived shortly after the group's attendance at the award show presentation. At the height of its development Arrowhead included 8 full-time employees and 4 contractors. The team was influenced by English humorists such as *Discworld* author Terry Pratchett and the comedy troupe Monty Python., and in addition to pen and paper role-playing games, design was influenced by Nintendo's *A Link to the Past*.

Partnering with Paradox Interactive as publisher, Arrowhead announced *Magicka* in 2010. Releasing in 2011, the game received mixed-to-positive reviews, but was a commercial success.

### 2015 - current: *Helldivers 2* development

In 2020 the studio announced that its next project would be a third-person cooperative shooter and Arrowhead's first AAA production, to be released on ninth generation hardware and personal computers; development on the game began in 2016. In May 2023, Arrowhead and Sony announced the game as a sequel to *Helldivers*, titled *Helldivers 2*, for the PlayStation 5 and PC. Originally slated for an unspecified 2023 release, it was delayed to February 2024.

## Games

 *Helldivers 2* | 2024 | PlayStation 5, PC | n / a

## External sites

* Official website
* Twitter page

## References

1. ↑ https://www.arrowheadgamestudios.com/2013/01/arrowhead-a-semi-brief-history/
2. ↑ http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2011/08/arrowhead-studios-interview/
3. ↑ https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/postmortem-arrowhead-game-studios-i-magicka-i-
4. ↑ https://gamingbolt.com/magicka-exclusive-interview-with-patrik-lasota-community-manager-at-arrowhead-game-studios
5. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/01/22/magicka-first-look
6. ↑ https://www.metacritic.com/game/magicka/
7. ↑ https://www.engadget.com/2012-01-19-magicka-summons-1-3-million-in-sales-new-expansion-in-the-works.html?guccounter=1
8. ↑ https://www.arrowheadgamestudios.com/2020/12/arrowhead-game-studios-is-working-on-a-next-generation-3rd-person-cooperative-shooter/
9. ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2023/05/24/helldivers-2-drops-on-playstation-5-later-this-year/
10. ↑ https://www.pcgamer.com/helldivers-2-has-a-cool-new-gameplay-trailer-but-its-delayed-to-2024/