Helldivers 2 is a game that wears its inspirations and love for its contemporaries on its sleeve. References to everything from Starship Troopers to Halo can be found in its world, but many players want them to remain as just that: references.
A Reddit post has picked up a lot of support today for its plea that Helldivers 2 keeps away from producing skins and other customization items in collaboration with other IP’s. Whilezhe user wasn’t opposed to gear that took inspiration from similar universes, they didn’t want Helldivers 2 to become a game with “no faith” in its original setting. “Let Helldivers just be Helldivers,” they wrote—a sentiment echoed by many others in the thread.
One player pointed out how the first game remained faithful to its own style throughout its lifespan but also admitted that the “insane jump” in popularity for the sequel makes it hard to gauge whether or not it will follow a similar path. The game’s rapid growth is a key factor in why this is a conversation at all. When you have the numbers Helldivers 2 has, other properties can often be motivated (or at least willing) to engage in cross-promotion.
“I personally don’t want it,” they added, pointing to their negative experiences with Rainbow Six Siege’s shift toward colorful cosmetics and collaborations. “That game was originally meant to be semi-realistic.”
“I am a Helldiver,” read another. “I am going to die on my next mission and so will my two replacements. Super Earth doesn’t have time to paint me bright pink just to be slaughtered on some distant planet.” It was an opinion shared by many other players, all leaning into the same fundamental reason for their aversion to future crossovers: a core part of Helldivers 2’s identity lies within its encouragement of roleplay. “I’ve been feeling the same way, I just want to feel like a soldier in a war,” replied one player. “I feel like it would take me out of it.”
However, Reddit only represents a small and particularly dedicated portion of the Helldivers 2 player base. The game’s more casual fans aren’t leaning into the roleplay aspect in the same way that many of those making these pleas are. Immersion and identity will always be important facets of these games, but with how successful major collaborations have been in drawing eyes toward other titles, it wouldn’t be surprising for Arrowhead to explore the possibilities.
But luckily for those fearing such a future, it doesn’t appear that the developers have any current plans to pivot in such a direction. Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt did confirm improved customization features were being discussed internally, but this only referred to granting players the ability to better customize the colors of their current armor pieces. Pilestedt also said that while Helldivers 2 is a live service title, the label has always been secondary to the team’s priority of delivering a full experience for the game.
It’s hard to imagine, therefore, Helldivers 2 will buck to the kind of live service trends some players fear. For now, the only things Helldivers should worry about is the ongoing Major Order against the bugs and the efforts being made by their fellow soldiers to retake Malevelon Creek from the Automatons.
