Helldivers 2 players beg devs not to “ruin” the game with live-service trends
Arrowhead Game StudiosHelldivers 2 players are pleading with Arrowhead not to follow the same path as other popular live-service games.
Helldivers 2 has had an explosive launch and continues to expand thanks to its unexpected popularity. Its large-scale co-op premise has hooked players to the point where losing a single planet or failing their first Major Order can leave them devastated.
The game even has its own God in the form of its Game Master Joel. Helldivers 2 players have actually started to revere him with a sort of religious fervor. Don’t ask.
As the game continues to enjoy massive mainstream popularity, some Helldivers 2 players have grown fearful that it may fall prey to some familiar live-service pitfalls. Reddit user u/DDeShaneW took to the game’s Subreddit begging developers not to turn the game into “Helldivers: ultra collab skin simulator”.
Since its launch, Helldivers 2 fans have frequently pointed out its similarity to the Halo franchise, specifically the cult-classic ODST game. A particular Twitch drop that is a pretty on-the-nose reference to the franchise saw players petitioning for proper collabs.
A number of Helldivers fans are arguing against this for fear that the game will become unrecognizable from the property they love. Referencing games like Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Rainbow Six Siege, u/DDeShaneW and others begged Arrowhead to “Let Helldivers just be Helldivers”.
Numerous Helldivers 2 players seem to agree with the sentiment. “I personally don’t want it,” One Helldiver concurred. “I go back to Rainbow Six Siege and get domed by Rick Sanchez when that game was originally meant to be semi-realistic.”
“I wouldn’t mind some armor that’s like vaguely inspired by other IPs, but I don’t want any direct collaborations,” one player put forward. “We already have Mass Effect, Halo, and Star Wars-inspired armor and they look fantastic. If they stick to ‘inspired’ and not ‘collab’ gear then I’m all for this,” another conceded in response.
ARROWHEAD GAME STUDIOSGiven how much success Helldivers 2 has had and the potential costs of maintaining larger servers and satiating players with content, it’s conceivable that the team at Arrowhead might take the collabs route for funding.
Although, it’s also possible that this concern from fans may impact any potential decisions in that regard. We’ll have to wait and see.