The community has consistently asked for larger lobby sizes in Helldivers 2. Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani has directly addressed this, pointing out significant technical issues as the main reason for not making any changes right now. In a discussion with players on the game’s official Discord server, Jorjani stated clearly that while some players are drawn to the idea of larger squads, implementing this would immediately hurt the game’s already struggling performance.
When asked about increasing the standard four-player squad limit, Jorjani offered an honest take on the engineering challenges. He bluntly replied, “my man, we’re trying to fix performance, not kill it.” He humorously illustrated the trade-off, saying he “can give you 16 player lobbies tomorrow,” but it would only result in “16 fps.” This contrast highlights the current struggle with engine optimization and the high processing demands of the game’s physics and enemy density.
This stance comes from the immediate focus of the Stockholm-based studio. Arrowhead has recognized that Helldivers 2’s performance issues are becoming a pressing concern that needs a significant investment of development resources. The game’s frame rate and stability have sparked considerable community discussion, especially after recent major content updates. In this challenging situation, diverting resources to add new features, like increasing player density, is seen as counterproductive to the main goal of maintaining a stable experience for current players.
Jorjani’s comments also emphasized the studio’s long-term approach for this hit game. He confirmed that a sequel, Helldivers 3, is not being considered at the moment. Instead, Arrowhead is focused on developing Helldivers 2 as a “forever game,” ensuring a steady stream of content and essential technical updates for the foreseeable future. This strategy suggests that while the idea of larger lobbies is currently off the table due to technical limitations, it may be revisited once the game’s performance is fully stabilized and optimized. For now, players must continue their fight for Managed Democracy in tightly organized squads of four.
