The Helldivers 2 game developer addresses their level of involvement in the movie. Developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony, the first Helldivers game was released in 2015. It is a top-down shooter game that sees players protect Super Earth by defeating enemies. A long-awaited sequel game that switches format to a third-person shooter, Helldivers 2, was released early last year, and just a few days ago, a movie adaptation was announced. There is limited information available so far as to who will direct or star in the Helldivers movie, as the project has just begun.

Speaking on social media, Arrowhead CCO and Helldivers 2 developer Johan Pilestedt discussed the studio’s involvement in the Helldivers movie.

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According to the video game director, he has been getting this question but has avoided answering it ever since the movie was announced. In terms of his level of involvement, he says that “the short answer is yes.” The longer answer is more complicated, as Pilestedt mentions that he and his team “don’t know what it takes to make a movie” and thus will not have “final say.”

What This Means For The Helldivers Movie

Video Games & Films Are Unique Mediums

Pilestedt’s response is incredibly respectful to the differences between the mediums of film and video games. A video game world is highly interactive, with a drawn out story that can typically last longer than that of a feature film. As such, the process of developing a video game and writing and directing a movie are entirely different processes. Pilestedt states the results of these differences clearly by saying “therefore we don’t, and shouldn’t, have final say.“

Pilestedt also confirms that he will be involved in the project, though the rest of his statement suggests that the extent of his involvement in the Helldivers movie is yet to be determined. This might be concerning to some video game fans who are loyal to the Helldivers series and hope the film adaptation will maintain the integrity of the original story. Helldivers 2 was well-received upon its release, nominated for multiple Game Awards, including Best Action Game and Best Ongoing Game. This reception only puts the pressure on for the Helldivers movie to be a quality adaptation.

Our Take On Pilestedt’s Helldivers Involvement

Collaboration Is The Best Solution

Video game adaptations are on the rise right now, so there is a chance that Helldivers could be very popular if done right, but its success may hinge on the video game team’s involvement. HBO’s The Last of Us is a great testament to why this works, as the show was made in collaboration with TV creator Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann, who co-created the original game. Ideally, the Helldivers movie should follow The Last of Us‘ example and create a more fully collaborative piece, even if the film people get the final say.

Source: Johan Pilestedt