Helldivers 2 prioritizes fun over game balance, says director

Johan Pilestedt, the director of Helldivers 2, has shared bold ideas about game balance. At a recent Game Developers Conference, he declared that chasing perfect game balance is a waste of time. He believes game developers should focus on creating fun experiences instead. Pilestedt pointed out that many games today, like Diablo 4 and Overwatch, spend a lot of time making balance changes. He argues this focus can lead to boring games. He insists that balance should only take up about 5% of a developer's effort. He emphasized, "Fun first, balance later." The director explains that worrying too much about balance can hurt the game's creativity. If developers smooth out all the chaos, they risk making the game uninteresting. He remarked, "Balancing is not game design. Game design is about experience." Despite his views, Helldivers 2 has faced its own balance challenges. Michael Eriksson, another director at Arrowhead, described the game’s early days as a “rollercoaster.” Pilestedt admitted that current balance issues are due to leadership problems. There are still glitches in the game, including one that allows players to slide around in a funny way, which remains unresolved.