Helldivers 2 has been through a lot and so have the developers at Arrowhead Game Studios. It is undeniable that the team has been taking all the controversies and hate like a champ, but it is often overlooked that they are human beings too, and are not invincible.
The manpower of the studio is spread too thin and back-to-back issues within the game and on the business front have put them in a messy situation. If this persists, the quality of the live-service game will decline significantly and their stress will have an impact on how they work.
Helldivers 2 Players Need to Cut the Developers Some Slack
Major problems usually take a toll on a person, especially in a toxic and demanding work environment and industry like entertainment. It wasn’t long ago when Sony caused the entire community to turn on the developers for something they have no control over like the mandate to link PlayStation Network accounts to Steam.
Fortunately, the whole issue was resolved accordingly but the developers received unfair treatment and were prime targets for backlash, bullying, harassment, and abuse.
As a non AH dev I’m worried for AH devs
byu/xKx4 inHelldivers
The constant complaining has pushed several developers to their breaking point like Spitz, the former community manager who encouraged the community to review bomb the game to gain the publisher’s attention which ultimately worked at the cost of his position. These people were victims as well and Sony used them as a scapegoat and threw them under the bus to be attacked by the wolves.
Director Johan Pilestedt promised that the game will soon be returned to its former glory and to the players who reside in regions where it was recently removed. The dedication and commitment are often overshadowed by negativity surrounding the game.
Arrowhead Studios Can Recover From the Helldivers 2 Fiasco
The developers are doing everything in their power to make sure that the players are having the best time possible and even the director acknowledges they may have taken it a little too far in regards to scaling. Pilestedt noticed some members of the gaming community complain about the changes and nerfs made in several weapons and addressed it by saying he would look into it himself and coordinate with the balancing team.
The pressure and stress affected the team’s morale and the community should go easy on these creative people. They are doing everything they can to make the perfect game in a gaming industry that is making it impossible to do. Developers are people and it is only appropriate to treat them as such.
The game may not be in the best state at the moment but with Pilestedt at the helm, and a strong team of developers rallying behind him, there is no telling what Arrowhead Game Studios can achieve. The community needs to be kind not just to each other, but also to the developers.
What are your thoughts about the state of Helldivers 2? Let us know in the comments section below!
