Helldivers 2 dev insists friendly fire is absolutely necessary

Helldivers 2 developer and Arrowhead Games Studio’s CEO Johan Pilestedt has explained why the friendly fire aspect of the colossal live-service shooter is a needed part of the puzzle, and why what it offers has resonated so well with many players across the game.

Helldivers 2 thrives on letting you carpet bomb, headshot, and destroy your friends at a moment’s notice. Whether it’s accidental or on purpose, the friendly fire of the co-op game provides such entertainment that I can’t imagine playing without it.

“The most important thing when we make games is believability,” Pilstedt says of Helldivers 2 weapon friendly fire. “Things should be consistent in the game world and therefore, we must have friendly fire. If your bullets can kill enemies, and the enemies can kill you, then logic dictates that your bullets must also be able to kill your friends. This kind of design is inherently systematic, where we create a rule set that applies to everything in the game world, with minor exceptions.”

“What this does, and maybe most clearly noted by friendly fire, is create a complexity to the gameplay where players have to actively think during combat sequences – not in a ‘solve the puzzle’ way but instead in a very primal creative problem-solving way,” Pilestedt continues in the PlayStation Blog interview.

“Also, the chuckles that happen when you accidentally carpet bomb your friends allow for a playfulness that in reality would be a tragedy – but within the self-bounds of games we can explore the dark humor of these situations. And finally, the friendly fire element makes the players a true interactable part of the game world that plays a great part in positioning and helps with team play.”

We’ve also got you covered with the rest of Arrowhead’s game, with a breakdown of the Helldivers 2 Warbond for Season 2, alongside everything you need to know about the Helldivers 2 servers.

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