The co-op third-person shooter Helldivers 2 is proving to be a massive hit on PlayStation 5 and PC. However, some fans are clamoring for a player-versus-player mode in addition to its cooperative PvE action.
Unfortunately for them, the game’s creative director clarified players must look elsewhere for a PvP experience.
Helldivers 2’s creative director says there will “never” be a PvP mode
Johan Pilestedt is the CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios and the creative director of Helldivers 2. Fans on Twitter recently asked if the studio could add a PvP mode. However, Pilestedt quickly shot that idea down, arguing that such a mode was bad for the community.
“We’ll ‘never’ add a PvP-mode,” said Pilestedt. “This is to reduce toxic elements from the community.” He added, “We want an environment that’s supportive, fun and where we all are fighting on the same side!”
In a subsequent tweet, Pilestedt denied the accusation that the studio was “scared” of adding PvP to Helldivers 2. Arrowhead simply does not want to invite the kind of toxic fanbases that PvP shooters can develop. Pilestedt sees this toxicity as inevitable in competitive games and wants Helldiver 2 to remain a cooperative experience.
“We make games for people that just want to have a challenging time with friends but in a PvE setting,” he said.
He also rightly pointed out that gamers have plenty of options when it comes to PvP shooters. He suggested that people waiting for a Helldivers 2 head-to-head mode would be better off playing Escape from Tarkov.
Some fans will no doubt be disappointed by Pilestedt’s statements. However, Helldivers 2 is a fantastic PvE game, and maybe that’s all it needs to be.
