Johan Pilestedt, the game director of Helldivers 2 and CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios has been proactively talking with the game community on social media. The current controversy angered the community and they retaliated by giving the first Helldivers title a negative review.
This has greatly disappointed Pilestedt. It is normal for people to retaliate or react whenever they feel duped but the people on the receiving end of the hate are also the victims. Sony’s latest mandate did not sit well with fans which led them to attack the predecessor title.
Helldivers 2 Was Just the Start and Johan Pilestedt Is Upset
The director anticipated this level of anger and outrage from the gaming community the moment Sony announced the new mandate for PC players on Steam to link their PlayStation Network accounts for moderation, players were unhappy and gave the game negative review scores which were a gut punch for Pilestedt.
Now the community has gone the extra mile by also negatively reviewing the original Helldivers. This behavior is unfortunate, but effective in making their voices heard despite the cost. The original game is innocent in all this and Pilestedt fears it may only be the beginning and other productions of the studio could also receive the same treatment.
It deeply saddens me that @HelldiversGame is also being review bombed due to the recent @helldivers2 controversy.
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 5, 2024
Innocent video games are being caught in the crossfire because the community holds the developers accountable rather than taking the fight straight to the publisher. Sony shows no remorse and is willing to abandon the players who reside in the 177 countries where the PlayStation Network is not supported and already removed access to play the video game.
What's next? Review bombing Magicka and Gauntlet as well? Other PlayStation titles?
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 5, 2024
Things will only get worse before they get better and the gaming community is firm about their opinion. It is up to Sony to cave in and reverse the decision. However, the damage has already been done. Pilestedt and the studio are now being dragged in the mud for something they are not responsible for which is an unfair predicament.
Johan Pilestedt and Arrowhead Game Studios Are the Victims
The hate is unwarranted but the wrong group of people are being targeted which can affect the morale of the studio. The fans are quite adamant about resolving this whole fiasco by taking it directly to the courts and even threatened to sue the publishers which will only fan the flames even hotter.
Innocent games are getting caught in the crossfire for something they are not directly involved in sends a bad message and will have major ramifications for the developers moving forward. Perhaps all of this will be resolved sooner rather than later but this event will be forever remembered as a mishap for Sony’s initiative to take on the PC platform.
The hate and frustration are not unwarranted but the way the gaming community is going about it is not the right way to go. Targeting other projects made by the developers will not improve the situation and is a waste of time and effort.
What are your thoughts about the Helldivers 2 controversy and are you as upset as Johan Pilestedt? Let us know in the comments section below!
