Amid the chaos surrounding Helldivers 2 account linking update, an Arrowhead community manager found themselves in hot water for adding more fuel to the fire.
Helldivers 2 Community Manager Under Fire for Perceived Unprofessionalism
Helldivers 2 on the Receiving End of Fans' Indignation
The uproar within the Helldivers 2 community prompted Sony to retract its Helldivers PSN account linking requirement, assuaging many disgruntled players after voicing out their clear ire. Likewise, it became clearer how Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead was also in disagreement with the now-canceled requirement. Although their addressing of the situation was received sourly by fans, Arrowhead assured them that they are up in arms with the community to deliver the best experience with Helldivers 2.
In particular, Spitz, a community manager for Helldivers 2, got it in the neck for their handling of the situation. Spitz recently drew fire for telling players to review bomb the game over the account linking issue and for becoming seemingly quite bristly towards fans.
One fan pointed out Spitz's rather unprofessional approach in doing damage control, all while helping squash the community beef, saying that they were "irritated by him too, but we are all human and we make mistakes." The fan continued, "He was facing a wave of sh*tty ppl and personal attacks on him and his team. Those same people who are calling for his head would have been 100x worse if they were in Spitz's shoes."
The community manager was consequently found temporarily missing-in-action on the Helldivers 2 Discord server after inciting negative review bombings on the game's Steam page and admittedly giving "a few people an attitude." Spitz eventually returned to the Helldivers 2 Discord and shared that they were "almost, but not quite" fired for their actions.
Spitz admitted, "I got heated and took it out on the wrong people and someone in my position can't ever let that happen."
Helldivers 2 Bombed with Negative Reviews
Helldivers 2's 'Recent' Steam review currently sits at 65% Mixed with over 124k people leaving 'negative' ratings. "Turns out that telling people to review-bomb and refund a game isn't a popular decision with the publisher," Spitz wrote on the server, "But I'm still here and I'm glad that we all made a difference."
"Nobody should feel bad for me tbh. I let the negativity get under my skin," Spitz continued in a separate reply. "There are good and bad ways to express discontent," read the rest of his statement, "I'm not trying to attack anyone for being displeased with the change, I'm just trying to protect my team from the backlash, so I jumped on the grenade."
While expressing regret for their approach, Spitz nevertheless stood by his actions. "Brother, we managed to convince Sony to revert their decision. I have no doubt we'll be able to get the game back to Positive."
Arrowhead CEO Commends Fans' Passion for Helldivers 2
Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt took the flood of negative Steam reviews in stride and expressed disappointment over the situation while assuring fans that they are always working toward making an enjoyable experience and community. The CEO also made clear he understood the players' grievances and commended their passion for the game.
"Firstly, I am impressed by the willpower of the @helldivers2 community and your ability to collaborate," Pilestedt wrote on Twitter (X) yesterday. Although opinions remained divided, especially regarding the PSN linking requirement for players in regions where it is inoperable. Arrowhead assured fans they wouldn't impose it on those who will be affected and render Helldivers 2 unplayable for them.
"If a better solution isn't provided for players who are in regions without PSN coverage, I'm assured that we won't be making the requirement mandatory for those players," Spitz assured fans again. "We're not going to force people to either break Sony TOS or not play the game." Meanwhile, Community Manager Twinbeard clarified that Sony's decision was beyond their control.
Amid the heated discussions, Pliestedt expressed his gratitude towards their partners at Sony PlayStation for quickly and effectively making the PSN linking optional. "We together want to set a new standard for what a live game is, and how developers and community can support each other to create the best game experiences," Pilestedt concluded.
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An Arrowhead community manager was 'almost, but not quite' fired for encouraging Helldivers 2 review bombing and refunds
Helldivers 2 Steam community
Helldivers 2 Discord
