It’s one thing to design a game to let players know that they have to “git gud” and it’s another thing entirely to go out and tell them that they’re not good. Antagonizing the players is a surefire way to get on their bad side – just ask Bethesda – and Arrowhead Game Studios is starting to find out why. The good news for Arrowhead is their CEO, Johan Pilestedt, arrived in time to douse the flames of backlash before things got too out of hand.
The first major Helldivers 2 update has officially arrived, tweaking weapon performance and addressing longstanding issues with orbital strikes and the flamethrower. However, the patch also nerfed the previously dominant Railgun and shield combo, a popular loadout for tackling the game’s highest difficulty settings.
This change, unsurprisingly, didn’t go down well with a segment of the player base. The Helldivers 2 subreddit and Discord server erupted with complaints, with players arguing that the toughest difficulties were now nigh-impossible without the overpowered setup.
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Things escalated when one of the game’s developers responded bluntly to player concerns, pushing back against the notion that the nerfs “ruined” the game. A Discord moderator also waded into the fray, adopting a more confrontational tone. The same developer’s admission of “trolling” for personal amusement and remarks that belittled players’ skill levels added fuel to the fire, prompting an even stronger reaction from the community.
Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt eventually stepped in, issuing a full apology on behalf of the studio. He acknowledged the misstep, stating that the comments “do not reflect the message the studio stands behind.” He further emphasized the studio’s commitment to fostering a positive community experience.
The incident exposed a fault line in the Helldivers 2 player base. While some welcomed the shakeup to the meta, others felt the responses were dismissive and unprofessional. This frustration stemmed from the “git gud” comments, a condescending phrase aimed at players who felt the higher difficulties were now unbalanced.
The controversy highlights the challenges of balancing a cooperative game. Helldivers 2 isn’t a competitive shooter; it’s about teamwork and overcoming shared challenges. The developers have gone to great lengths over the past month to clarify that it’s purposely avoiding in-game toxicity and one of their measures is to steer clear of PvP. However, a lot of players still prioritize efficiency and min-maxing their loadouts, leading to meta-reliant strategies. Although the idea that players were starting to dismiss anything not considered as “effective” was recently dismissed, this incident proves there’s a legitimate problem brewing within its growing community.
Ultimately, this serves as a cautionary tale. While Arrowhead has been lauded for open communication, it’s imperative the studio learn how to choose the right battles. In this case, the developers would have been better served leaving the balancing discussion to the community managers or PR team – or Johan Pilestedt, for example, who’s pretty much become the face of the company.
Furthermore, this incident is raising questions about the additional workload Helldivers 2’s success has placed on its developers. Managing a million-strong community can be overwhelming for anyone, especially for a studio with roughly a hundred employees. The community backlash and stress might have created the perfect storm, leading to frustration and potentially unprofessional responses.
Looking ahead, the dust seems to be settling on the Helldivers 2 patch drama. For now, everyone has banded together to try and liberate Tien Kwan to unlock mechs.
Nevertheless, one thing is clear here: an open line of communication and focusing on the importance of a positive community will play a crucial role in Helldivers 2‘s continued success.
