Helldivers 2 studio CEO denies rumors of a Sony acquisition

Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios, has shut down rumors of Sony acquiring the studio following the successful launch of the game last month.

The details:

• Yesterday, X user @Haothors claimed in a now-deleted tweet that Arrowhead had been acquired by Sony, with an announcement coming soon. The user in question has also shared several "leaks" about other PlayStation projects, including claims of a Ghost of Tsushima PC port.

• Pilestedt responded to the rumor in a tweet to a fan, confirming that it is false and pointing out that the mockup image in the quoted tweet features a "really shitty old logo from 2008 or so when we just started the studio." In another response, the director stated, "This is the first I hear of this..."

• Arrowhead has previously stated that it is an independent studio, despite fans incorrectly assuming that it is owned by Sony due to Helldivers 2 being published by PlayStation Studios. “We are not owned. We are independently owned! I mean, we are owned, but only by the founders (including me) of the studio,” Pilestedt said on Monday.

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• Capcom has announced that it will raise the salaries of all of its employees in the coming fiscal year, as well as give existing employees a one-time bonus payment.