Helldivers 2 PvP is never coming as devs are happy with the community’s “low toxicity” right now

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PlayStation’s Helldivers 2 has been a surprise gaming success with millions of players allowing the developers to eventually turn the game into Helldivers 3. With weapon attachment systems and armour skin customisation on the way, some players have wondered if the game will ever get an official PvP mode in the future,

While developer Arrowhead has teased the possibility of larger PvE game modes in the future, the studio has staunchly denied any form of PvP gameplay in Helldivers 2. Instead, it’s up to players to arrange their own firefights which can be done through the game’s often hilarious friendly fire system.

Is Helldivers 2 PvP ever coming?

In an interview with CGM, Arrowhead COO Johan Pilestedt explained that the additional “competitiveness” that PvP adds would increase the toxicity of the game’s fanbase. Currently, Helldivers 2 has an “extremely friendly” fanbase that support ignoring meta builds to simply have fun taking on tanks with WW1 weapons. If PvP was introduced, the fanbase might change.

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“It’s one of the core philosophies that we have in regard to the game experience that we make,” Pilestedt explained. “We believe that as soon as we introduce [heavy] competitiveness into the game, there’s some light competitiveness with the stat screen, ‘I killed the most, and I didn’t shoot my friends’ and so forth. You can bash each other or shoot each other or whatever.”

“When we actually made it into like a goal to be competitive, with other people in the game, we noticed that the toxicity in the community went up.”

ARROWHEAD COO JOHAN PILESTEDT

Pilestedt explained that when competitive modes were introduced, it removed the friendly nature of Helldivers. With the goal of making a game that inspired collaboration, HD2 is very successful, and official PvP options could ruin that.


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“When we actually made it into like a goal to be competitive, with other people in the game, we noticed that the toxicity in the community went up,” Pilestedt explained. “And looking at the original Helldivers game, we had very low toxicity in general—people were extremely friendly.

“And it really helped the community and is something that, I think, is something that I wish more and more games had. Like, you know, this humble and gentle community that likes playing video game theatre, it shouldn’t be politics. There shouldn’t be animosity in it.”

For more Helldivers 2 coverage, read about the reality of a bow weapon coming to the game, or read about the one restriction that future crossovers need to abide by the guest in the game.

About the Author

Lewis White

Lewis White is a veteran games journalist with a decade of experience writing news, reviews, features and investigative pieces about game development with a focus on Halo and Xbox.

Helldivers 2

  • Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5
  • Genre(s): Action, Shooter, Third Person
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