For Helldivers 2 fans and staff, the past few days have been an insane journey. But with official confirmation that the war is finally over, fans have gone back to their usual jovial selves.
Apparently, that includes making mock-up in-game cosmetics to commemorate what has been an intense, exhausting war against Sony for its recent decision to force a PSN link on Steam players to access their Helldivers 2 accounts. And one amusing community design has fans demanding that it be added to the game.
The Prodigal Son, a Fan-Made Helldivers 2 Cape
In an act of defiance toward Sony’s decision, fans began review-bombing Helldivers 2 on Steam to make sure the company knew they wouldn’t be accepting it without a fight. It wasn’t a simple knee-jerk reaction either.
A community manager from Arrowhead made it known that these negative reviews would help the studio’s case against PlayStation to rescind the policy and make things right again, especially as the studio’s staff were opposed to it too.
After the community won and PlayStation announced that the policy was reversed, fans could finally breathe a sigh of relief; some got their Photoshop up and running and got their creativity to work.
This "Accidental Cape Design" actually goes so hard 🔥🫡
Design by: Community Member
🪡mjbga04 | #Helldivers2 pic.twitter.com/K2AvLoyKm5
— Helldivers 2 Media (@Helldiversmedia) May 6, 2024
User mjbga04 came up with a new cape design, which was an instant hit among players. And this is where the context of the story comes into play.
The blue and red bars on the cape are a copy of the Steam reviews graph for Helldivers 2. The red bars were when the community was review-bombing the game, and the blue bar represents the reviews being changed to positive after their win was secured.
Make it a reward for those that link a PSN account
— Rob (@rpear1986) May 6, 2024
The cape, titled ‘the Prodigal Son’ has gone viral among community members and is a clever reference; down the line, anyone who recognizes this probably should be entitled to a veteran’s discount.
Players Want This Fan-Designed Cape in Helldivers 2
Needless to say, the cape was an absolute hit among the crowd. Almost unanimously, players began asking the developers to make it an official cape in the game.
I hope the devs will add this, funny enough it looks pretty good
— GDP Duncan (@GDPDuncan) May 6, 2024
Some tried starting a little fire in the replies, however. One player requested that only players who link their accounts to a PSN ID should get the cape.
Then, there were the players who felt the exact opposite; that only PC players deserved the glory of donning this cape.
Only PC players should have this cape.
— Kyowyn (@KyowynX) May 6, 2024
There was a third type of request; one user requested that only people who had the game before the date of the big announcement, May 3rd, 2024, would get the capes.
Should only be allowed to wear it if you had the game prior to 5/3/24.
— Jimmy McCambridge (@JimmyMack0320) May 6, 2024
The replies to this request were quite divisive, however. A common sentiment seemed to be that people shouldn’t be locked out of cosmetics, and everyone should have a chance to get it.
Plus, this would end up hurting those who got the game refunded as a way to protest the decision.
What do you think about this cape design? Do you have any ideas of your own that you’d want to see in Helldivers 2? Let us know in the comments below!
