Helldivers 2 CEO says devs can have a doctor-patient relationship with their communities: 'The patient is wrong, but they are also still in pain'

Helldivers 2's CEO explains the studio's unique relationship with players, comparing it to a doctor-patient dynamic where players may suggest remedies that aren't medically sound.

Helldivers 2's CEO has explained that developer Arrowhead Studios has a somewhat doctor-patient relationship with players.

No, the Helldivers 2 studio isn't going to start patching up your busted knee or taking your temperature. But in the same way that patients sometimes Google their symptoms and come up with incorrect diagnoses before a hospital appointment, Helldivers 2 players can sometimes think up unworkable fixes to in-game problems. 

During a studio workshop called 'US and Them: building healthy relationships with our players and partners,' game director Johan Pilestedt broke down the tricky dynamics between divers and High Command. CEO Shams Jorjani then jotted down the key takeaways for us all to mull over online.  

I asked @Pilestedt to hos the first of a series of Lunch & lunch workshop at the @ArrowheadGS office on the topic of "Us and Them: building healthy relationship with our players and partners" we try to unpack learnings since launch. pic.twitter.com/8Vy4xKJzMHJune 5, 2024

"A big takeaway is that we as developers and players have a bit of a doctor/patient relationship," Jorjani tweets. "A patient comes in with knee pain thinking it's due to a particular 'thing.' We, as doctors, know it's not that 'thing.' The patient is wrong, but they are also still in pain." 

The accompanying image shows a Reddit post where one player argues that shooting a Bile Titan's mouth should register as a critical hit. Of course, that particular player isn't in any actual pain, but their post makes it clear players wanted an easier way to dispose of the towering bugs, even if their suggestion wasn't the right kind of medicine. 

Elsewhere in the thread, Jorjani mentions the team has a challenge "in that we want to keep things secret so we can surprise and delight, but people want clarity on the road map. When we aren't clear about a road map people extrapolate on our previous track record."

That's something Arrowhead Studios has been grappling with ever since Helldivers 2 became the year's breakout success, but the developers have since announced that patches will begin to slow down so the team can "maintain the quality" and react to patient symptoms accordingly. 

The new Helldivers 2 Warbond features armor and weapons ripped straight out of Predator.