Helldivers 2’s Most Under-fire CM Almost Sacrificed More than Necessary with Suggesting Players Leave Negative Steam Reviews

After the whole Helldivers 2 debacle with Sony and the Steam community has finally ended, many survivors are beginning to talk about how they still have jobs after some bad decisions. One of the main encouragers of the review-bombing on Steam was the game’s Community Manager (CM) and Arrowhead Game Studios, known by the community as Spitz. 

He shared on Discord that, after fans inquired, he still has a job and hopes to see things improve in the next few weeks. Sony backtracking was a surprise for everyone, and the community is happy to have won the battle.

There was a rough week for Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony. Some Helldivers 2 fans were particularly upset about the update that requires players to link their PlayStation Network accounts to Steam in order to play on PC. A series of events ensued, including review bombing, game refunds, harassment of members of the dev team, and the need for the CM to intervene to calm down the community.

After the studio’s popular CM, Spitz, encouraged fans to review-bomb the game, his future was very uncertain. But in the latest conversation on Discord, it seems that even after making this bold move, the CM is safe, and the community is happy with the result.

Helldivers 2 CM says they almost got fired for telling people to review bomb and refund the game.

This ended up as a huge W, but I truly hope they don’t get swept up in the “voice of the people” image that Redditors are foisting on them. I’ve seen that go badly too many times. pic.twitter.com/XFNoOoYLjz

— Ryan K. Rigney (@RKRigney) May 6, 2024

Apparently, the vibe is tense, and the fans are afraid for the studio members to suffer consequences for encouraging players to try to oppose Sony’s decision.

The discussion against Sony cost Arrowhead Game Studios health, sweat, and tears; there were few conflicts that escalated as quickly as this. Spitz is happy to be safe, but the fans are still doubting that this will be the end of it. On X, many users believe that someone will be held accountable for the negative publicity the game has received, and players anticipate further retaliation. As a result, some users are attempting to defuse the tension.

Johan Pilestedt, the studio’s CEO, was one of the most affected; he even left the official Discord server after the fans were too angry to talk rationally. This should not happen again in upcoming games; both the community and the studio behind the title should communicate in a more diplomatic way. This could really end badly for many of the studio’s employees, and fans are hoping that this is the end.

The future of the game should now be safe, with the team working normally to improve the content and add new things for fans to enjoy. The community is very active, but sometimes just too passionate. The studio is hoping to find common ground with the players to help the game grow even more. For the time being, the player count continues to be excellent, as the numbers are working well.

What are your thoughts about the Community Manager’s actions? Let us know in the comments!