All Hail Joel, the Helldivers 2 Developer Steering the Galactic War Like a D&D Dungeon Master
The timing couldn’t be better. Just days after the Helldivers 2 community mourned the loss of fan-favourite map Malevelon Creek, it has emerged there is a single developer at Arrowhead pulling the strings of the galactic war like a D&D dungeon master.
In an interview with PC Gamer, Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt pulled back the curtain ever so slightly on Helldivers 2’s hugely popular meta narrative that sees the forces of Super Earth (players) battle against alien bugs and bots for control of the galaxy, revealing a developer called Joel is steering the ship from behind the scenes.
"We have an actual person [Joel] with the job title of Game Master," Pilestedt said. "We have a lot of systems built into the game where the Game Master has a lot of control over the play experience. It's something that we're continuously evolving based on what's happening in the game. And as part of the roadmap, there are things that we want to keep secret because we want to surprise and delight."
Ever since launch, Helldivers 2 players have wondered to what extent community actions direct the “liberation” of the galaxy. While players can see the status of planets and even sectors change as they play, and can even see their tiny positive contribution when they complete operations, what’s clear now is Joel is the brains behind the ongoing campaign, and even steps in to change things when they go in unexpected directions.
"There have been some sudden moments where maybe one planet was too easy or one was too hard and [Joel] had to get up in the middle of the night to give the Automatons a bit of reinforcements so the players don't take [the planet] too quickly," Pilestedt revealed.
The Helldivers 2 community has reacted to this revelation in typical fashion: by memeing the hell out of it. And, coming so soon after the shock fall of Malevelon Creek, Joel is now in the firing line. Players had wondered why the planet, dubbed ‘Space Vietnam’ by the community, was miraculously made available to
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