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Arrowhead may be switching to a new game engine for the studio’s next project, according to a job listing from the studio. The Helldivers 2 developer is actively looking for a new technical lead that can help transition the studio to Unreal Engine.
With the game just set to release its Chemical Agents Warbond update alongside 01.001.100 patch notes offering countless buffs, the studio is also looking into the future. While sad to see another studio leave unique tech behind in favour of Epic’s technical giant, Arrowhead’s shift is more essential than most.
Helldivers 2 devs move to Unreal
Currently, Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 runs on Autodesk Stingray, a discontinued engine from the creators of 3DS Max. Used for few other games, the dead engine is no longer supported, but Arrowhead has made the most of it.
Nevertheless, the studio is looking to Unreal Engine for the studio’s next game. A recent job listing for a new Head of Engineering specifically asks for a senior developer that has “experience with Unreal and engine transitions”.
This marks the first time Arrowhead will be creating a project with Epic Games’ industry-shifting engine. Since the release of The Showdown Effect in 2013, the Swedish games studio has exclusively used Autodesk Stingray, previously known as BitSquid.
Prior to the release of The Showdown Effect, the studio’s debut game, Magicka, was built on Microsoft XNA. This freeware runtime environment ceased development in 2013 with no new versions of XNA Build releasing after 2015.
Autodesk Stingray is still in use at other studios, namely FatShark, the developer of Warhammer: Vermintide and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. It’s unknown if the studio is also planning to abandon the software for Unreal.
HD3 in UE5?
It’s not known what Arrowhead’s next project is. The studio could be working on a Helldivers 3 in Unreal Engine 5, or the studio could be planning something different entirely. It is clear that the studio is moving towards the industry leading engine for its next title.
However, don’t expect Arrowhead to work on bringing the current version of Helldivers 2 into Unreal. While some gamers believe game engines can be easily swapped, porting a title to a new engine is a logistical nightmare, especially after years of development in a defunct engine. Nevertheless, it is exciting to see Arrowhead move towards an engine that will be supported far into the future.
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