Helldivers 2 director decides to kick off 2025 by wading into a conversation about DEI: 'Make good games, don't make a contemporary political statement'
After sparking a fury by saying developers should «make good games, don't make a contemporary political statement,» Helldivers 2 creative director Johan Pilestedt now says he was referring only to commentary made «outside the theme of the game.»
Pilestedt's initial statement came in response to a user on X who urged him to «never add DEI»—an acronym for diversity, equity, and inclusion that's become a high-profile bugbear for the anti-woke crowd—in future Arrowhead games. «If it doesn't add to the game experience, it detracts,» Pilestedt wrote. «And games should be a pure pursuit of amazing moments.»
Shortly after, replying to another question about how DEI would have benefitted Helldivers 2, he continued, «I don't like labels. But mankind is united in its extreme xenophobia on Super Earth. #Inclusion so, maybe that's DEI? I really don't care. Make good games, don't make a contemporary political statement.»
Superficially, Pilestedt's comments could be seen as relatively innocuous, but eyebrows were raised because Helldivers 2 is a very, and very overtly, political game: A satire of fascism so heavy-handed it makes Starship Troopers look subtle by comparison. It was understandably jarring to see the guy heading up such an on-the-nose antifascist narrative to suddenly embrace a «keep politics out of games» attitude.
Some on X pointed out the obvious disconnect, but of course others glommed onto it as proof that their efforts against DEI, «wokeness,» and other such culture wars nonsense are bearing fruit. Unsurprisingly, Pilestedt attempted to clarify his point earlier today, saying he was referring to actions and statements made «outside the theme of the game.»
«Well, that's the theme of the game,» Pilestedt wrote in response to a user on X who pointed out that his comments were incongruous to the very obvious political elements of Helldivers 2. «I meant outside of the theme. Sorry for being unclear. Also, it's more cold war/Bush-era politics that inspire HD2.»
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