Helldivers 2 Director Comments On Community Debate

gamerant.com:

Helldivers 2 director Johan Pilestedt believes his team needs to focus on both developing new content and fixing bugs to stay relevant in the video game market. Since the release of Arrowhead Game Studios' 3rd person cooperative shooter, passionate fans have debated the benefits of letting the developers focus on ironing out some of the kinks in Helldivers 2's code against the production of new content. In response, Pilestedt provided an insider's perspective into the title's development, with the Arrowhead CEO stating that things were a bit more complicated.

It's no secret that the gaming community at large has been infatuated with Helldivers 2 in recent months, and there are plenty of ways to explain their adoration for the underdog title. However, the fans' shared love for the game did not mean they were all in agreement regarding how Arrowhead Game Studios should handle their golden goose. Since its launch, hundreds of players went on to start forums and submit reviews critiquing the game's shortcomings, such as a handful of game-breaking bugs and some of Helldivers 2's planned balance changes. More than once, arguments have broken out regarding which issues need the most attention.

One such forum received a personal visit from an unlikely insider in the form of Pilestedt, with the Helldivers 2 director thanking the original poster for sharing their opinion and further responding with his insight into his team's approach to development. Specifically, Pilestedt claimed the developers at Arrowhead Game Studios were still finding the right balance between bug fixing and new content. The CEO believed it was easy to say that his team should focus on fixing the game over adding more to it, but argued that the hyper-competitive state of the gaming industry meant developers needed to focus on both for the sake of Helldivers 2's overall longevity.

Notably, Pilestedt also denied that Sony Interactive Entertainment, which published Helldivers 2, forced the studio into