After months of waiting, Helldivers 2 players have finally been given an in-game item that transforms a difficult moment in the game into a badge of honour. Arrowhead Game Studios released a free commemorative cape that offers a humorous representation of the enormous review bombing campaign against the game.
A Visual Record of Community Outrage
The latest cape features a bold design that clearly references the review bombing controversy. Gamer will notice the cape’s motif which has light blue bars at the top which show the number of positive reviews. The rest of the pattern has passive aggressive red bars showing the number of negative reviews. This unique cosmetic promised just over a year ago is now being made available for free for players.
Understanding the Controversy
In early 2024, a controversial policy decision caused the game to be review bombed. Just after launch, publisher Sony attempted to enforce mandatory PSN account linking for PC players. The PC gaming community pushed back against the decision as they have historically resisted forced account creation and use of additional launcher.
Community Victory and Recovery
Due to the intense outcry from players, this policy decision was soon reversed completely. As a result of this win, the community started posting positive reviews to counter all the negative feedback and the game eventually got back on the store. Clearly, the dramatic swing in public opinion had a lasting impact on the development team as shown by this object.
Rebuilding and Resurgence
In light of the controversy, Arrowhead has strived to re-establish credibility and enthusiasm with players. The Heart of Democracy expansion, in particular, received a glowing reception from fans, and their recent round of content updates paid off big time. In the last month, concurrent users at this game almost reached 200,000. This is a significant increase since their April low.
The developers of Helldivers 2 gave a funny commemorative cape because of the controversy over a late game release. They wanted to symbolize the positive relationship that this event brought about between developers and players.