Composer Will Roget joins Main Quest for a deep dive into the music of Helldivers 2, the power of player-focused composition, and the craft behind some of the most memorable game scores of the last decade.

Will shares how Final Fantasy VII pushed him toward video game music, how MIDI transcription helped him learn composition, and how working at LucasArts shaped the way he thinks like a game developer instead of only a musician. The conversation moves from Star Wars and Call of Duty: WWII into the heart of Helldivers 2, where Will explains how the game’s score turns every mission into a full emotional arc.

This episode breaks down the Helldivers 2 theme, the role of 5/4 time, the impact of triplets, the difference between cinematic and interactive music, and why the soundtrack makes players feel like they are part of Super Earth’s war effort. Will also talks about new music for Helldivers 2: Into the Unjust and what the underground missions could mean for the game’s sound.

A must-listen for Helldivers fans, game music nerds, Star Wars fans, composers, and anyone curious about how video game soundtracks are really made.

Chapters

00:00 - Will Roget Joins Main Quest02:52 - Final Fantasy VII Sparked His Composer Journey06:00 - How MIDI Transcription Taught Him Game Music13:10 - His First Star Wars Work at LucasArts20:00 - Why Star Wars Music Is So Rich25:30 - Scoring Film vs Scoring Video Games29:20 - How Game Music Stems Actually Work38:30 - Writing Music for the Player First41:20 - The Story Behind the Helldivers 2 Theme51:35 - Building the Super Democratic Super Crescendo01:04:00 - Music for Helldivers 2: Into the Unjust

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Russ Nickel helped shape the voice, humor, and lore of Helldivers 2, one of the most surprising co-op shooter hits in recent memory.

In this episode of Main Quest, Russ joins Eddy Barco to talk about writing for Super Earth, building the tone of Helldivers 2, creating ship characters, expanding the game’s lore, and helping develop the hilarious propaganda machine that made players instantly understand what kind of universe they had joined.

The conversation goes deep into the craft of video game writing. Russ explains how the team approached dialogue, voiceover, mission clarity, player roleplay, and comedy in a game where the story often lives inside systems, ship chatter, loading tips, tutorials, and the chaos of four players trying not to kill each other.

He also shares the story behind the Helldivers 2 tutorial, the creation of General Brash, the writing that never made it into the final game, and why leaving just enough mystery gave fans room to build their own Super Earth theories.

Later, Russ talks about his own writing journey, from short stories and indie film to Geomon and his new narrative tactical RPG comedy, Ledgerbound.

Russ is now building new worlds through Omni Mega Super Corp. Check them out here: https://omnimegasupercorp.com/

A must-listen for Helldivers 2 fans, game writers, co-op shooter fans, and anyone curious how a game’s personality is built from the inside out.

In this episode of Main Quest, Eddy sits down with Jeremy Cook, a veteran art director and concept artist whose career has crossed some of the biggest worlds in entertainment, including Star Wars, Halo, Doom, Quake, Blizzard, Blur Studio, and Exodus.

The conversation explores how great game art works when players are not thinking about it. Jeremy breaks down the difference between designing for film and designing for games, why believable sci-fi needs both function and style, and how artists guide players through worlds using shape, lighting, detail, readability, and restraint.

From designing Jedi Temple interiors for Star Wars: Episode III to explaining why Helldivers 2 feels so immediately satisfying, Jeremy offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the decisions that make fictional worlds feel real. The episode also digs into Helldivers 2’s visual DNA, its connections to Halo, Star Wars, Warhammer 40K, and Starship Troopers, and why Arrowhead’s simple sandbox of tools, enemies, and problems keeps creating unforgettable moments.

For fans of Helldivers 2, Halo, Star Wars, Doom, sci-fi art, game development, and the hidden craft behind modern games, this is one of the most insightful Main Quest conversations yet.

00:00 - Designing Star Wars Tech for Ewan McGregor
02:10 - Meet Jeremy Cook
06:45 - Blur Studio, Tim Miller, and the Big Break
14:00 - Why Great Art Should Hide the Tools
18:00 - How Spaceships Become Believable
29:00 - Building Jedi Temple Interiors for Star Wars
34:00 - Why Games Are Harder Than Film
38:00 - High Poly, Low Poly, and the Magic Trick of Game Assets
48:00 - Does Art Create Escapism in Games?
52:00 - Why Helldivers 2 Feels Like Halo, Star Wars, and 40K
57:00 - Breaking Down the Automaton Designs
01:01:00 - Why Helldivers 2 Feels Fresh Every Mission
01:08:00 - Jeremy Cook’s New Sci-Fi RPG, Exodus
01:15:00 - Why Game Developers Need to Play Games

Helldivers 2 became one of gaming’s biggest surprises because players did not just play it. They turned it into a culture.

* Note: This interview was filmed in 2025, so some information may have changed since recording.

In this episode of Main Quest, Eddy sits down with Colebrew, a Helldivers 2 content creator and meme maker, to explore how Arrowhead’s co-op shooter became a community-driven phenomenon. The conversation digs into the memes, roleplay, friendly fire, Super Earth propaganda, and unpredictable “cinematic chaos” that made the game feel different from so many modern live service shooters.

Colebrew shares how Helldivers 2 helped his content take off, why the game feels like a throwback to playing Left 4 Dead or Call of Duty Zombies with friends, and how the community helped shape the game’s identity through jokes like “face the wall,” John Helldiver, and endless Super Earth roleplay.

The episode also opens up into a bigger conversation about modern gaming, including monetization, IP crossovers, the Xbox players joining the fight, the 60-day patch, boss battles, ODST-style armor, and why players are responding so strongly to games that feel fun, chaotic, and authentic.

Chapters:

00:00 - The Most Chaotic Helldivers 2 Extraction01:15 - How Colebrew Became a Helldivers 2 Meme Creator03:20 - Why Helldivers 2 Feels Like Playing With the Boys Again05:42 - Cinematic Chaos and the Meme Culture Behind Helldivers 207:25 - Face the Wall, John Helldiver, and Super Earth Roleplay10:25 - Crossovers, and Avoiding the Fortnite Problem16:05 - Monetization, Horse Armor, and Why Helldivers 2 Feels Fair22:00 - The 60-Day Patch That Changed Helldivers 233:20 - Why Smaller Games Are Winning Players Back44:20 - Colebrew’s Theory About Helldivers and Clones53:00 - One of the Funniest Failed Extractions Yet

Craig Lee Thomas aka John Helldiver, goes behind the scenes of Helldivers 2 with us here at Main Quest. How did he land the role? What’s Arrowhead Studios really like? Is Super Earth just a bunch of dumb propaganda? On this podcast we’ll cover it all: voice acting, character creation, comedy, game development, fan moments, and the much more behind one of the most iconic characters in recent gaming history.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - Voice Acting Pain: Fire, Death Screams, and Molotovs

03:23 - Craig’s First Video Game Voice Acting Job

07:05 - Dying, Screaming, and Fighting in Video Games

13:03 - Craig’s Childhood as an Actor

21:41 - Becoming the Super Earth Spokesperson

23:02 - The Helldivers 2 Mocap and Face Scan Process

25:37 - Creating the Voice of John Helldiver

27:38 - How John Helldiver Became Bigger Than Expected

32:09 - Visiting Arrowhead for the Anniversary Party

38:12 - Playing Helldivers 2 with John Helldiver

45:24 - Extraction Chaos with John Helldiver

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What does it actually take to build a global hit game?

In Episode 1 of Main Quest, we sit down with Evan Nickel, producer of Helldivers 2, to break down the real story behind one of the most explosive launches in modern gaming.

From early development challenges to scaling a live service experience for millions of players, Evan shares what goes on behind the scenes at a studio level, what surprised the team most after launch, and how Helldivers 2 evolved into a cultural phenomenon.

We also dive into:

• How large-scale co-op games are built and maintained

• The biggest production challenges studios face today

• What players don’t see behind live service updates

• Lessons from Helldivers 2’s massive success

If you’ve ever wondered how great games are actually made, this is where the story begins.

🎧 Welcome to Main Quest - a show that explores the magic behind video games.