Arrowhead Game Studios Chief Creative Officer and Helldivers 2 Creative Director claims that if Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) doesn’t add anything to the experience, it instead detracts.
Helldivers 2 Creative Director Johan Pilestedt took to Twitter/X to talk about the new year, and the expectations and desires of fans for what the next Arrowhead Game Studios title should be. He revealed that he is working on the “high concept”, but he would also like to hear about everyone’s speculation.
One Twitter/X member responded to Pilestedt’s post by asking him never to add DEI to Arrowhead Game Studios’ next title. In response, Pilestedt said that if it doesn’t add to the game experience, it detracts. He added that games should be a pure pursuit of “amazing moments”.
Another Twitter/X user asked the Helldivers 2 Creative Director how DEI would have benefited the game, to which he responded by saying that he doesn’t like labels. He added that mankind is united in its extreme xenophobia on Super Earth. He showed that he believed in inclusion, and wondered if that’s DEI. Ultimately, however, he really doesn’t care, as he believes in making good games rather than making a contemporary political statement.
Previously, Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony Interactive Entertainment had announced a significant milestone for their critically acclaimed cooperative shooter, Helldivers 2. Speaking at the Golden Joystick Awards, the developers revealed that the game now boasts an impressive 15 million players worldwide, marking an increase of 3 million players since May 2024, when it was reported to have 12 million players.
Helldivers 2 was released on February 8, 2024. It serves as a direct sequel to the 2015 top-down shooter, Helldivers. It transformed the franchise by switching over to a third-person perspective while retaining its core cooperative gameplay. Available on both PlayStation 5 and PC, the game has become one of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s most successful titles to date.
