Helldivers 2 CEO Drops a Reality Bomb: Bigger Lobbies Would 'Kill' Performance (And Your Frame Rate, Mate!)
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Helldivers 2 CEO Shams Jorjani has dashed hopes for bigger lobbies, frankly stating they would 'kill' the game's already struggling performance, a candid admission from a developer committed to making Helldivers 2 a 'forever game' despite its current technical woes.
Right, so you're out there on some godforsaken planet in Helldivers 2, spreading managed democracy, liberating systems, and probably thinking, "You know what this needs? More mates! More explosions! More... *chaos!*" You're dreaming of epic 16-player skirmishes, a veritable armada of Helldivers descending upon bug nests and automaton factories, right? Well, hold your horses, because the digital wizard behind the curtain, Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani, has just dropped a rather blunt truth bomb about those bigger lobby dreams.
This nugget of honest, if slightly heartbreaking, information comes to us courtesy of a recent report by Daniel Morris over at Game Rant, who's been keeping an eye on the pulse of the Helldivers 2 community. And fair dinkum, Jorjani didn't mince words when confronted by players on Discord about the possibility of expanding those current four-person squads.
Now, if you've been around the digital block a few times, you'll know that direct developer-to-player communication is like finding a legendary loot drop in a sea of common trash. Arrowhead and Jorjani, to their credit, have been pretty exemplary on this front, often fielding questions directly in the game's Discord server. It's a double-edged sword, mind you – players get unfiltered answers, but sometimes those answers aren't exactly what they want to hear. And this, mate, was definitely one of those times.
When asked about the chances of adding larger squad sizes, Jorjani's response was as direct as a well-aimed railgun shot: "my man, we're trying to fix performance. not kill it." Oof. When a curious follow-up pushed on whether both performance fixes and bigger lobbies were possible, he playfully – but firmly – retorted that he "can give you 16 player lobbies tomorrow," but it would come with "16 fps." He quickly clarified that the 'tomorrow' part was a joke (thank goodness, wouldn't want to accidentally summon a glitch dimension), but the core point remained: more players means a significant hit to performance.
Now, let's be cleverly observant here, because Jorjani isn't just pulling this out of a hat. Anyone who's been dropping onto planets lately knows Helldivers 2 has been having a bit of a wobble when it comes to stability and frame rates. It's no secret that the game's performance has been a growing concern for players, especially with recent updates seemingly introducing more stutters and drops. Arrowhead has openly admitted that fixing these performance issues is top priority. It's like trying to patch a reality-bending wormhole while someone else is asking you to make it bigger for a better view – you've gotta secure the existing breach first, right?
So, from a logical, wizard-reading-digital-tea-leaves perspective, the idea of expanded lobbies is practically in a different dimension right now. It's not just a matter of flipping a switch. It's about optimizing code, rendering more enemies, managing more player actions, more explosions, more physics calculations – all those lovely things that make Helldivers 2 the chaotic joy it is, but also make your GPU sweat like a Helldiver caught in a Bile Titan's puke stream.
But let's be fair, why *do* players want bigger lobbies? It's not just for the spectacle (though, let's be honest, that's a big part of it). More players could mean more tactical options, more strategic depth, more opportunities for those glorious, last-second heroics, and frankly, more 'managed democracy' spread across the galaxy. Imagine coordinating an eight-person assault on a crucial objective, or having dedicated teams for flanking manoeuvres and heavy weapon support. The potential for emergent gameplay is massive, like accidentally summoning a demon but it turns out to be really good at gardening.
Yet, this immediate desire bumps up against Arrowhead's larger, rather ambitious, vision. Jorjani recently claimed there are "no plans for Helldivers 3," because the studio intends to make Helldivers 2 a "forever game" – constantly updated for years to come. Now, that's a statement that elicits both genuine enthusiasm and a healthy dose of gentle skepticism. "Forever games" are a lofty goal, often fraught with challenges, but the commitment to sustained content is certainly exciting. If they *can* iron out the performance kinks, if they *can* optimize the engine to handle more concurrent chaos, then perhaps, just perhaps, bigger lobbies could be revisited down the line. It's a magical quest, this one, but it's going to take time and a whole lot of bug-squashing.
For now, it seems the focus is firmly on making the current four-person experience as smooth and stable as possible. It's a classic gaming industry conundrum: balancing player desires for more, with the technical realities of what's feasible. And while Jorjani's answer might not be what players wanted to hear right this second, his directness is actually a breath of fresh air. It gives us a realistic expectation, rather than some PR fluff about "exploring all possibilities" (which usually means "nah, not gonna happen").
So, will we ever see Helldivers 2 lobbies larger than four? Not anytime soon, according to the boss. But with a "forever game" philosophy and a studio willing to be transparent, one can always hope that once the current performance spells are properly cast and stabilized, a bigger, more chaotic ritual might just be on the cards. Until then, keep spreading democracy with your current squad, and pray for stable frame rates, mate. It's the Helldiver way.
Tags: Helldivers 2, Game Development, Performance Issues, Community Interaction, Live Service Games
Original article: Game Rant