Helldivers 2 Developers Might Release a Cape Commemorating the Account-Linking Controversy

gamerant.com:

Helldivers 2 developers are reportedly working on a new cape inspired by the account-linking controversy. While the community can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the worst of the fiasco has passed, some fans have additionally taken to sharing designs for costume accessories inspired by Helldivers 2's Steam page. Some of these designs even managed to reach the offices of developer Arrowhead Game Studios and, if one executive is to be believed, will soon hit live servers as an official cosmetic.

Despite only lasting a few days, the Helldivers 2 account-linking controversy was undoubtedly the biggest scandal to hit Arrowhead Game Studios' PvE cooperative shooter since its February release. While Sony and PlayStation decided to scrap the update after widespread community backlash threatened to ruin the game's success, the incident will likely remain a memorable event in players' minds, with many fans calling it a victory for the community as a whole and a reminder that players had a say in how the game was run. Many users additionally flooded several Helldivers 2 social media pages with banners and posts celebrating the controversy's resolution, and some even drafted concepts for items immortalizing the game's revival.

Director Johan Pilestedt was particularly impressed with one of the more popular concepts, which transformed the tide of negative and positive reviews from Helldivers 2's Steam page into a unique cape. The Helldivers 2 director shared a picture of the stylized design on his official Twitter account, praising the concept and jokingly stating players will soon see the accessory appear in the in-game store for $999.99. In another series of comments, Pilestedt claimed developers were already thinking of a good name for the cape and clarified that they planned to release it for free.

While the design is inspired by the PlayStation Network account-linking controversy, the cape is also notably a sign of Helldivers 2's redemption in the eyes of the community.