Summary
- Helldivers 2 faced backlash for the "Escalation of Freedom" update, with fans criticizing weapon nerfs.
- Arrowhead CEO Jorjani responded to over 200 tweets, acknowledging feedback and planning internal discussions.
- Fans on Twitter are divided on the update, calling for better weapon tuning and potential balance corrections.
Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani has responded to feedback regarding the most recent update for Helldivers 2, titled "Escalation of Freedom." The Helldivers 2 update was not well-received by many fans in the community, leading to an influx of negative reviews on the game's Steam page.
Helldivers 2 is one of the most successful games of 2024, with over 450,000 concurrent Steam players logged in during its launch month in February. Although the overall player count has waned in recent months, thousands of players around the world continue to contribute to the Super Earth cause on a monthly basis. What's more, post-launch support for Helldivers 2 has been consistent, with new weapons, vehicles, and other content being regularly added to the game. Escalation of Freedom is the biggest update yet for Helldivers 2, introducing several new content additions and balance adjustments. However, Escalation of Freedom was controversial, since many players believe that the update nerfed fan-favorite weapons too harshly.
Helldivers 2 Leak Reveals New Combat Vehicle
A Helldivers 2 leak gives players their first look at a new combat vehicle, which will allegedly be added in a future update.
On Twitter, Arrowhead CEO Jorjani acknowledged the criticism that Helldivers 2 has faced since the launch of the Escalation of Freedom update on August 6. Jorjani notes that he received over 200 tweets from players with feedback, suggestions, and opinions regarding the update. In addition, Jorjani confirms that the development team is holding internal discussions as they evaluate the update and further plans for the game. In a reply to Twitter user Slimeakku, Jorjani stated that the Helldivers 2 team has "tons of feedback right now, but no good tools for collating all of it." The team plans to conduct large-scale surveys and sentiment gathering, which are both included in the team's roadmap.
Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Acknowledges Feedback Following Escalation of Freedom Update's Launch
Similarly to Helldivers 2's recent review history on Steam, overall reception to Jorjani's tweets is mixed, since fans of the game on Twitter are upset with how the studio handled the Escalation of Freedom update. A notable portion of the community believes that the way Arrowhead handles weapon tuning should change in order to improve the state of the game and prevent further outrage. Some argue that the update would have been perfect if weapon nerfs were omitted entirely, since those players believe that the game's weapons have already been fairly adjusted in previous updates.
The popular SG-8S Slugger primary weapon and GP-31 Grenade Pistol were among the many guns that were affected by the recent update. Before Jorjani addressed the community, Arrowhead tried to justify and explain Escalation of Freedom's weapon nerfs in a Steam blog post. Despite that, the community was steadfast in its criticism of the game this week, which could lead Arrowhead to make some balance corrections in future updates.
Helldivers 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
The Galaxy’s Last Line of Offence. Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter.
URGENT BROADCAST – SUPER EARTH ARMED FORCES
Freedom. Peace. Democracy. Your Super Earth-born rights. The key pillars of our civilization. Of our very existence. But the war rages on. And everything is once again under threat.
Join the greatest military force the galaxy has ever seen and make this a safe and free place to live.
BECOME A LEGEND
You will be assembled into squads of up to four Helldivers and assigned strategic missions. Watch each other’s back – friendly fire is an unfortunate certainty of war, but victory without teamwork is impossible.
LOADOUTS
Rain down freedom from above, sneak through enemy territory, or grit your teeth and charge head-first into the jaws of combat. How you deliver liberty is your choice; you’ll have access to a wide array of explosive firepower, life-saving armor and battle-changing stratagems… the jewel in every Helldiver’s arsenal.
REQUISITION
Super Earth recognises your hard work with valuable Requisition. Use it to access different rewards that benefit you, your squad, your destroyer ship and our overall war effort.
THREATS
Everything on every planet wants you dead. That’s what we’re dealing with. Each enemy has distinct and unpredictable characteristics, tactics, and behavior – but they all fight ferociously and without fear or morality.
THE GALACTIC WAR
Capturing enemy planets, defending against invasions, and completing missions will contribute to our overall effort. This war will be won or lost depending on the actions of everyone involved.
We stand together, or we fall apart.
- Engine
- bitsquid
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
