Helldivers II Was Built on an Archaic Engine That You Can't Access Anymore

One of 2024's most renowned games has proven that even discontinued software can be employed to create something stunning.

Every once in a while, we witness artists and game creators diverging from mainstream development software, choosing to replace common tools like Unity and Unreal Engine with obscure applications rarely seen in use. It appears that Arrowhead Game Studios was one such developer, who, as recently discovered, employed a dead engine that you can no longer access to power their sensational third-person shooter – Helldivers II.

Brought to our attention by Lead Game Developer Andy Touch, it turns out that the second installment in the Helldivers series is powered by the same engine as the original 2015 game, with that being Bitsquid, known in its later years as Autodesk Stingray.

Built with support for the most popular PC, console, and mobile platforms in mind, Bitsquid was utilized in the creation of various games, including Escape Dead Island, Hamilton's Great Adventure, Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, and, as mentioned above, the original Helldivers. Following its acquisition by Maya and 3ds Max developer Autodesk in 2014, the engine was integrated into the company's game development toolkit and renamed Autodesk Stingray.

While on the surface, it seems like a good idea to leverage the same software for both the original game and its sequel, the thing you need to know about Autodesk Stingray is that it has been discontinued since 2018. Consequently, it has not received any updates in the past six years and has been officially declared dead by its developers.

As Andy noted, there's a strong possibility that Helldivers II entered production before the discontinuation of the engine, which likely prompted Arrowhead to take matters into their own hands and enhance the software themselves, molding it into the tool they needed instead of abandoning their progress.

This situation underscores the fact that even discontinued software can be utilized to create something extraordinary. And create something extraordinary Arrowhead did. In less than two weeks, Helldivers 2 astounded hundreds of thousands of players, swiftly becoming this year's second gaming sensation and joining Palworld in the list of top contenders for Game of the Year 2024.

The game's concurrent user count continues to soar, breaking records daily and currently standing at an impressive 456,000 players. It now holds the 20th position on the SteamDB chart of most concurrently played titles, surpassing heavyweights like GTA V and Among Us.

The game's success has been so immense that its developers openly and honestly advise purchasing Helldivers 2 at a different time, as it is currently plagued with server issues due to the overwhelming number of players it has to accommodate all at once.

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Published 21 February 2024
Theodore McKenzie
Head of Content