How the names Arrowhead Game Studios and Helldivers 2 came to be – PlayStation.Blog
Players have plenty of unique and interesting names at face value, but there’s always a deep origin story to be told. We spoke with Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pilestedt about the studio’s name and how the Helldivers franchise came to be. Read on to learn how to translate their names, World War II planes, and the satirical humor in these titles.
Behind the name “Arrowhead Game”
PlayStation Blog: How did your team come up with the name for Arrowhead Game Studios?
Johan Pilestedt: When we were trying to come up with a studio name, we had a long day coming up with ideas, but in the end, only Arrowhead was successful and there wasn’t much competition.
The name “Arrowhead” mainly comes from two main ideas. First, my last name is Pilestedt, which directly translates into English as “alternate arrow.” We also like the idea that “Arrowhead” seems like a serious company. Arrow head. Cut edges. Then you see the logo [a person with an arrow comically piercing their head] and the meaning changes to something more silly.
We were a bit bold in deciding to pluralize our studios as “Arrowhead Game Studios,” just in case we would one day grow to include more than one studio. Now, this name is a reminder of our student days, when we were five people in a small room on the LTU campus. Even the logo hasn’t changed much since then. We’re still chasing the same dream: to change the gaming industry with the power of fantasy-first co-op games.
How the game “Helldivers” was born
On the surface, “Helldivers” is a perfect title for a game about soldiers dropping onto hostile planets filled with enemies. What else is there to say about the origin of the title?
Deposited: “Helldivers” is an idea of the phrases “war is hell” and “rush into war”. So it became Helldivers. Additionally, we wanted a name that reflected the activities you would do in the game. The name “Helldivers” has also stuck in my name since I learned the name of the World War II-era Curtiss SB2C “Helldiver” dive bomber. I always wanted to do something with it.
The name Helldivers was so fitting that it actually remained the same from the first introductions to the final product. On an emotional level, we wanted the name “Helldivers” to evoke the feeling of overcoming insurmountable odds and possibly dying you.
For those prepared to dive into the insurmountable opposition of Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Game Studios’ co-op sci-fi shooter is now available on PS5 and PC. Learn more about the latest information Polar Patriots Premium Warbond is available in Helldivers 2.
