On March 5th, 2024, rumors started making the rounds about Arrowhead Studios, the developer of Helldivers and, more recently, Helldivers 2, being acquired by PlayStation. While many would have already thought that the company was part of Sony Interactive Entertainment, as most of Arrowhead Studios’ games have been on the PlayStation (PC), that isn’t the case. So, when I started seeing the rumors about the studio being snatched up, I figured it might be a possibility.
But I also knew we were in the middle of some ridiculous console war, and any rumor like this should be taken with a grain of salt. That and given that SIE and PlayStation just laid off 900 employees, which also affected Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog Guerilla Games, and resulted with the PlayStation London studio being closed.
Arrowhead has been acquired by Sony says new rumors 🤔
Announcement supposedly coming soon
See more: https://t.co/jSfj7Gf20B pic.twitter.com/F1BnvlzqgS
— Hunter 🎮 (@NextGenPlayer) March 5, 2024
Well, as most rumors end up being, this one was also fake. Especially since Arrowhead Game Studios’ CEO Johan Pilestedt chimed in, stating that this rumor was fake “unless he missed something.” He also pointed out that the logo used for Arrowhead Studios was “a really shitty logo from 2008 or when we just started the studio.”
This is fake… Unless I've missed something 🤔
Also, a really shitty old logo from 2008 or so when we just started the studio.
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) March 6, 2024
That’s one way to shut down a rumor straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
I can see why someone would start this rumor, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is the exact nonsense that the gaming community doesn’t need. Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 is doing fantastic on the PS5 and PC, and ever since the title’s launch, Xbox fans have been asking for the game to make its way to the Xbox Series X|S. Of course, this started more internet gaming discourse, with PlayStation fans dismissing the notion. Which could (likely) have prompted this rumor in the first place.
But, for now, Arrowhead Studios isn’t being acquired by SIE or PlayStation—at least, not that Johan Pilestedt knows anything about. And rumors, unless confirmed, are just that—rumors.
