Helldivers 2 Fans are Making Cape Designs Out of Steam Reviews, and They Might Appear in the Game

ign.com:

With the PSN account linking fiasco now in the rearview mirror, what was nearly a disaster moment for Helldivers 2 is now becoming a part of community lore. Fans have been busy working on cape designs since Sony reversed course, at least some of which have seemingly caught the eye of the development team.

The movement began after Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt noted an "accidental cape design" from a member on Discord — four red lines denoting Helldivers 2's plummeting reviews over the weekend.

Also, the accidental cape design is pretty cool. From a community member. pic.twitter.com/7LQZA6Rekw

Another community member soon responded to Pilestedt's post with a more refined design, leading to other fans coming forward with ideas of their own.

Or this... pic.twitter.com/qd4Gm5mzSm

Since then, designs have rapidly proliferated. Over on Reddit, one Helldivers 2 fan made a full-blown concept they refer to as "The Prodigal Son." The cape contains a visual reference to Helldivers 2's Steam reviews and a description that reads, "The cape's cropped length symbolizes the brevity of galactic conflicts, thanks to the efficiency of the Helldivers."

The final blue arrow is a reference to what fans are calling "Operation Cleanup" — an attempt to reverse the effects of the review bombing campaign that sent Helldivers 2's broadly positive Steam reviews plummeting. The effort has already pushed recent reviews to "Mixed," which is a substantial improvement over the "Overwhelmingly Negative" sentiment that appeared over the weekend. More than a few fans noted the similarities of the red bars to Helldivers' familiar drop pods.

Apparently inspired, the Helldivers 2 team appears to be working on an official version of the cape, though Pilestedt says they're still thinking of a good name for it. Asked if it will be free, Pilestedt joked that it will be "$999.99 easy" before promising that it will "ofc be free."

The community effort follows a three-day saga that began with the notice that Helldivers