Arrowhead CEO says Games Workshop 'would love' a 40K Helldivers 2 crossover, 'but time and resources are finite and we've got our hands busy'

helldivers 2 urban legends
(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

Helldivers 2 did its first crossover event with Killzone, recently, and it didn't go too well. That's mostly because it was composed of weirdly expensive items that operated outside of the typical Warbonds system, leading to a community backlash so strong that Arrowhead released the second half for free by way of apology. The roller coaster ride continues.

Still, that's just a monetisation problem, and it'll be easily solved in future updates as Arrowhead experiments—and while the game doesn't want to become the Fortnite of grimdark futures or anything, there's one obvious crossover that'd be an intergalactic no brainer: Warhammer 40k.

During an impromptu Q&A session on the Helldivers 2 Discord (thanks, GamesRadar) CEO Shams Jorjani was quick to swat down assumptions that this hasn't come to fruition yet because Games Workshop, the wargame's creators, are a bunch of gits who don't want to share their IP. In fact, quite the opposite.

"I can tell you [Games Workshop] would love a crossover—and we're huge 40k fans ourselves—but time and resources are finite and we've got our hands busy," Jorjani explains.

Which, honestly, fair enough—we're talking a game that has a constant, ever-shifting galactic war, a bunch of new Warbond weapons with every major update, and a new faction to worry about. It only just feels like Arrowhead's found its footing after an unexpected tide of player interest at the start of 2024, let alone fretting about the monetisation of crossovers, which has already proven itself to be a tricky manoeuvre.

Still, this at least groks with a different message Jorjani sent back in December of last year, where he admitted that "GW have been courting us", and that the team is full of "huge fans".

(Image credit: Helldivers 2 Discord)

As for why it's such an obvious pick, well, Helldivers 2 and 40k occupy a lot of the same 'satire of intergalactic fascism' venn diagram, except one sends it up as a comedic ode to Starship Troopers, while the other puts on its most serious face and tells you that "in the grim darkness of the far future there is only war."

Really, the major issue would be how silly your average Helldiver would look in a set of Space Marine armour—while I would never speak ill of democracy's finest, they aren't Space Marines, who are genetically-modified biological tanks with two hearts, three lungs, and a brain that can shut half of itself down to sleep. Most of Super Earth's cannon fodder are barely of conscription age, and don't typically make it much longer.

2025 gamesBest PC gamesFree PC gamesBest FPS gamesBest RPGsBest co-op games

2025 games: This year's upcoming releases
Best PC games: Our all-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPS games: Finest gunplay
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
Best co-op games: Better together

Harvey Randall
Staff Writer

Harvey's history with games started when he first begged his parents for a World of Warcraft subscription aged 12, though he's since been cursed with Final Fantasy 14-brain and a huge crush on G'raha Tia. He made his start as a freelancer, writing for websites like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine—and of course, PC Gamer. He'll sink his teeth into anything that looks interesting, though he has a soft spot for RPGs, soulslikes, roguelikes, deckbuilders, MMOs, and weird indie titles. He also plays a shelf load of TTRPGs in his offline time. Don't ask him what his favourite system is, he has too many.

Read more
A space marine fighting a tzaangor on a flying disc in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 made millions for Games Workshop, and now it wants more hit videogames: "Clearly we are looking for the next one"
A space marine battling a chaos space marine in Space Marine 2.
Hasbro is working with Saber Interactive on a 'tentpole' IP using Space Marine 2's swarm tech
A screenshot of Helldivers 2, depicting a Helldiver saluting while wearing an anthropomorphic facemask
The United Nations asked Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead if it'd give a talk on psychological manipulation: ‘Could we brainwash an entire community to fight for a fascist state? … Would we be okay with that? Turns out, yeah’
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 promo art - three Space Marines standing in formation
Space Marine 2 dev acknowledges its FOMO events are 'a source of frustration and stress for everyone', says it'll fix things and isn't trying to make 'a full live service game' by stealth
helldivers 2
'Never thought I'd go back' Helldivers 2 players steel themselves to return to the site of its most infamous battle, Malevelon Creek
Still image from "found footage" of Helldivers 2 game master Joel.
Helldivers 2 game master Joel offers a look back on the first anniversary of the galactic war
Latest in Third Person Shooter
Steel Hunters hands-on
Steel Hunters is like a more tactical Titanfall, but as an extraction shooter it's undermined by boring loot
helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 composer recalls stomping around his apartment and channeling 'Super Patriotism' to capture Arrowhead's satirical vision in music: 'The satire works because the music believes it's a pure patriotic love without irony or criticism'
farcana
'The Middle East's answer to Marvel Rivals' is an 'AI-powered', crypto-infused hero shooter that looks like hot garbage
Marvel Rivals characters - Invisible Woman preparing to cast a shield.
'Searches for Invisible Woman went up 3,000%': Marvel Rivals devs innocently reflect on how popular some of their heroes have become
A Helldiver charges through the fire and flames in Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2 CCO Johan Pilestedt says the industry's got it backwards by putting features over fundamentals: 'We talk way too little about the core philosophy'
Marvel Rivals codes - Venom and other heroes
'A developer who actually listens': Marvel Rivals' devs fix accidental Peni Parker nerf just 9 short hours after saying they would
Latest in News
The snazzy red and black HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headphones float in a teal void. The microphone is attached to the headset.
The best wireless gaming headset is now even better in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, boasting a more than $50 discount
A chip being held up in an Intel fab
Intel is reportedly 'working to finalize commitments from Nvidia' as a foundry partner, suggesting gaming potential for the 18A node
Amazon box
Don't panic! The 'Do Not Send Voice Recordings' option Amazon just removed was only used by 0.03% of customers and they can still have it
Digital generated image of people surrounded by interactive transparent and glowing panels with data. Visualising smart technology, blockchain and artificial intelligence
Now I shall demand the cookies! Proposed new browsing agreement turns the tables and lets users dictate terms to websites
Intel CEO, Pat Gelsinger, with a 18A SRAM test wafer
Former Intel CEO, Pat Gelsinger becomes executive chairman of a 'Technology Platform Connecting the Faith Ecosystem' to work on Christian AI using DeepSeek
Assassin's Creed Shadows immersive mode - Naoe holding a tanto in her hand as two guards fall to the ground behind her.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first hotfix addresses stability issues and a photo mode crash