Super Earth's mouthpiece: what it's like to deal with the Helldivers

Helldivers 2 was one of the biggest surprises of 2024, thanks to Arrowhead's gentle guidance of a large playerbase to serve Super Earth. Since its launch, the game's been under intense scrutiny from the community and, despite it's success, has often found themselves at odds with players.

Arrowhead's engagement with Helldivers has been a part of the whole thing. Johan Pilestedt, CEO, isn't scared to get involved in controversies or tease players. The mysterious game master Joel, aka Thomas Petersson has been on the frontlines since the beginning, cajoling and commiserating the troops.

Petersson's Arrowhead contract ended recently, and he will no longer be working with Helldivers 2. We asked Petersson about his experience managing a community which grew rapidly, seemingly overnight, as well as the challenges of herding Helldivers across the galaxy.

Petersson says, "I joined Arrowhead a week after Helldivers 2 was released." "I had seen some HD2 trailers before applying for the Community Manager role and thought it looked very promising. I knew Arrowhead as a solid developer from my previous work in the industry. It's true that few people expected it to explode the way it did. It's always hindsight that is 20/20 but you don't plan for a global phenomena."

It's fair say that no one expected Helldivers 2 would be as successful as it has been. Even the publisher Sony was surprised by the enthusiasm and rush of players. Petersson says that the first week was "crazy in a good, but not crazy way". "For most people, a launch such as this is an experience they will only have once in their career. On February 1st, there were 5,000 users on our Discord server. A week later, there were 10,000 people. Ten days later, we had surpassed 360,000. We were almost at one million a few months later. Every morning, when the US woke up, more than 100 people joined every minute. "The growth, hype, and dedication around HD2 have been amazing to be a a part of."

Major orders require that the Helldivers converge on certain planets and areas of the solar system. However, at a certain point, players began to chafe against Super Earth's exact strategies. Major orders require that the Helldivers congregate on certain planets and regions of the solar system, but at a certain stage, players began to chafe at the exact strategies being employed by Super Earth. The best example of this was what is known as the Martale Gambit. Helldivers were sent off script to liberate planets which would, in theory cripple enemy supply lines.

Petersson says, "I was not surprised at all by the Martale Gambit, given the level of investment made by our players." The over-the-top setting and co-op theme lend themselves to teamwork beyond the game.

"However, watching the players come together to solve problems and overcome challenges is fascinating, and... well, it's endearing most of the time. It's true that large groups of fans may become a little wild, but this is a genuine feeling that comes from love and interest. You can't fake it. You should be grateful for the opportunity to be a part when you inspire that level ingenuity or reach that level interaction.

I asked Petersson to tell me about the surprises that the community has thrown at him, and his favorite memories from his time as a watcher. Petersson says, "I don't mean to belittle this, but the Helldiving Community is pretty predictable. Their actions are more emotional than pragmatic so the outcome is usually fairly easy to predict." "I think the sheer dedication, strength of numbers and conviction has surprised me and continues to surprise me. This really speaks to my personal experience.

"The Helldivers Community has been able to resolve major orders we all thought impossible internally. They have shown (Earth and Super Earth) they are a force that can be reckoned upon, both when things go wrong and when you succeed. "Communities can make or break anything they set their mind to. Appreciating and honing this can create a bond which is incredibly strong."

My favourite example is when Helldivers had to choose between saving a hospital that cared for sick children or a fancy new gun. Do I need to tell you the story? No sick child will be exposed to alien scum as long as a Helldiver is breathing!

Petersson has now started looking for a job in the gaming industry. He says he will miss "almost" everything about Helldivers 2 but is still searching. He also has a reminder of why it was such a hit: "Helldivers 2 really is a good game. We have to remember this." Arrowhead has surpassed all expectations, despite the initial difficulties and mistakes made. Their vision and endurance were what set the chain of events into motion. (If I remember correctly, it took seven year, eleven months, and 26 days to create the game.) So serious kudos for that, and the support I felt upon joining the team."

His closing remarks are directed at this remarkable fan base. Petersson says, "Things are moving fast. Today, no one bats a glance behind their helmet visors when they see amazing artwork, cosplay costumes or lore-driven clips on Youtube." "But if you step back, this is an impressive sight." The love, respect, and appreciation I felt during my time here and even more when I left, is something I will carry with me throughout my life.

Twinbeard is signing off to all citizens of Super Earth and the Helldivers. Is this just a game?

Petersson says, "I beg you to differ." "This may sound a bit like my TL:DR version of Independence Day, but I try not to diminish other people's opinions. In my line of work that has been games. A game can be as important to someone else as anything else, and sharing this is worth a great deal.