Spreading democracy shouldn’t require two separate gaming setups, but Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani has mixed news for aspiring couch co-op Helldivers. During a casual Discord conversation last month about favorite couch co-op games, Jorjani addressed the question of split-screen support for Helldivers 2 itself.
When asked about potential split-screen functionality, Jorjani responded with cautious optimism wrapped in uncertainty:
Its technically feasible but I have no idea if its a feature ppl really want? It’s on our ‘to investigate’ list.
His response perfectly captures Arrowhead’s current predicament. The feature could work, but priorities remain unclear when bugs, bots, and squids demand immediate attention from Super Earth’s finest developers.
Why Split-Screen Helldivers 2 Remains in Development Limbo
The technical feasibility confession from Jorjani doesn’t solve the bigger puzzle facing Helldivers 2‘s development roadmap. Split-screen functionality requires significant engineering resources that could otherwise tackle the game’s more pressing technical debt issues.
Current performance struggles already plague single-screen experiences across all three platforms. Adding split-screen complexity would likely compound existing frame rate drops and stability problems that frustrate players daily.
Arrowhead must weigh community demand against development bandwidth carefully. Split-screen appeals to a very specific niche of players, while broader issues like the ongoing War Strider controversy and networking problems (among others) continue affecting the entire player base.
The studio’s “to investigate” list presumably contains dozens of similar features awaiting evaluation. Split-screen competes with cross-progression, improved mod support, and countless quality-of-life improvements that could enhance the democracy-spreading experience.
Jorjani’s Honest Take on Arrowhead’s Outdated Engine Problem
Jorjani also addressed concerns about Helldivers 2‘s aging Stingray engine foundation during the same Discord conversation. When asked about the team’s outlook on the matter, his response revealed both confidence and resignation about their proprietary technology choice:
Any coder will tell you about a proprietary C++ engine. You get what you put into it. So while the tech isn’t supported elsewhere we can keep it going and improve it. We just need to chip away at the bugs and build new stuff.
The discontinued Stingray engine does create a unique burden for Arrowhead. Unlike studios using Unreal Engine, Unity, or their own proprietary game engines, Jorjani and co. can’t rely on external support or community resources when problems arise.
This isolation means every bug fix, optimization, and feature addition falls entirely on their shoulders. The “chip away at bugs” approach sounds methodical but also suggests a long road ahead.
Perhaps most telling was Jorjani’s response to another player’s oddly-specific question: “We have so, so so much s**t going on at the same time I barely remember my kid’s name.” The overwhelming workload comes through clearly in this admission.
The community sees constant complaint threads about performance issues, crashes, and balance problems. Knowing the dev team feels equally overwhelmed adds context to why fixes take so long to arrive.
Do you want split-screen co-op in Helldivers 2, or should Arrowhead focus on fixing existing issues first? Let us know in the comments below!
