Helldivers 2 CEO Says No to Adding Popular Customization Mechanic

gamerant.com:

CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, Johan Pilestedt, has confirmed that the much-requested transmog customization feature will not be coming to Helldivers 2 anytime soon. As Helldivers 2 is all about dishing out freedom to the galaxy, it's ironic that players are missing a level of freedom of their own, with customization being so limited.

Helldivers 2 has plenty of cool armor sets for players to collect, each with their own effects on the battlefield. However, for all the praise that Helldivers 2 has received since its initial launch, the level of customization of these armor sets has been a huge point of criticism from the game's community. Players can't customize the color of the individual armor pieces, meaning that plenty of gamers are running around the battlefield in Helldivers 2 with a completely mismatched set of armor. On top of this, transmog isn't possible either, meaning players also can't use the visuals from one armor piece and the stats of another.

Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, confirmed that Helldivers 2 will not add transmog, despite the requests from the community. According to Pilestedt, «equipment looks different because it has different effects. Swapping one for the other is like having an apple that tastes like bacon.» While it isn't entirely clear, it seems as though Pilestedt is opposed to transmog as an entire concept, rather than any specific grievances about how transmog in Helldivers 2 would work.

Many of the responses to the tweet were negative, with some pointing out that in a PvE game, there's no competitive reason not to have transmog, with one player saying, «All I want is to wear a color coordinated armor, helmet and cape setup while I dish out democracy.» Others pointed out that having color customization in Helldivers 2 would be an acceptable compromise, as it would still be far more personal than what currently exists in the game. Hopefully, Arrowhead Game Studios will be able to come to a conclusion that satisfies