The ugly head of toxicity is rearing in the generally positive Helldivers 2 community with the traitorous scum spreading their undemocratic behavior, infesting the ranks of Super Earth’s finest warriors.
Arrowhead Game Studios has made its stance about toxicity in Helldivers 2 clear: it has no place in the game. But no amount of propaganda can keep certain individuals out of any game, especially multiplayer titles.
However, as Helldivers 2 heads into its fourth weekend, bolstered with its highest server capacity so far, Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt sent a rallying cry among the troops that has echoed far and wide.
This. Help new players. Show them the ropes. Fight together. Don't be a facist. pic.twitter.com/xorzotoH13
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) February 29, 2024
In a post on Twitter, Pilestedt shared a meme about a veteran player complaining about the beginners in their games that’s been making rounds lately. This. “Help new players. Show them the ropes. Fight together. Don’t be a fascist,” said the ever-vocal executive.
If you read only the headlines and don’t play Helldivers 2 yourself, you’d think that the game is falling victim to a worsening problem that’s far more prevalent in other games. High-difficulty lobbies have become cesspools for bickering and arguing about the ideal stratagem choices and loadout selection. Some reports even go as far as to say that anyone playing outside of the current meta has been dealt with in an undemocratic way. But if you ask the community itself, the reports are overblown. In fact, helldivers on Reddit are calling out journalists and sites for “hate baiting”, effectively saying that while Helldivers 2 isn’t immune to such toxic elements, they aren’t as problematic as some sites are making them out to be.
Nevertheless, this response from Pilestedt does make it clear that it’s aware of the burgeoning problems within Helldivers 2 and he’d prefer to nip it in the bud.
In any case, it’s becoming more and more evident that as Helldivers 2 racks up the sales, it will eventually need an improved report function to make it easier to blacklist disruptive players. In the meantime, the only option is to deal with trolls the only right way to use the game’s friendly fire function: an anti-material rifle shot to the temple.
Speaking of Helldivers 2, Pilestedt once again endeared the game to fans after revealing that a Game Master named “Joel” is in charge of pulling the strings behind the curtains.
