Helldivers 2 dev admits "there's been a disconnect" between Arrowhead and "what players want": "We want to make the game more fun"

A Helldivers 2 dev has admitted that "there's been a disconnect" between players and developers recently, but that making the game "more fun" is the studio's core focus.

In messages on Discord, community manager Thomas 'Twinbeard' Petersson spoke about the game's 60-day action plan, saying that "we need to view this as an important first step to us getting back to being aligned with what players want. There's been a disconnect there." Petersson notes that "we can't and won't be able to and shouldn't even please all," but says that even if the game ends up feeling easy once Arrowhead has made its changes, "it should be easier to make it more difficult AND fun."

Speaking in more detail, Petersson explained that "the one thing that trumps all at the moment is that we want to make the game more fun for a larger percentage of the player base. That's number one. It has to be. Having fun with your friends is what the game is all about." 

"Helldivers 2 has to be more of that over the top bombastic 'hexx yeah!' co-op action game that it has for some of late," he continues, finishing by saying that "we hope and think these initial changes will make the game more fun for a larger base of players, old and new." After that initial push, he says, there'll also be more evaluation and further polish introduced, to keep improving the game.

The 60-day plan has only just started, but Arrowhead is prepared to make some sweeping changes, including a rollback of some of the more controversial changes added in the recent Escalation of Freedom update. The studio's also committing to nerfs of both Bugs and Bots, meaning that no matter which front you fight on, you should have a slightly easier time.

Helldivers 2 boss admits the team has been "off course a few times" lately, but don't expect a quicker cadence of Warbonds: "We'd love to pick up the pace again – but need to hit quality first."