"Everyone who plays is a fascist"

[The_Dipl0mat]

Okay, now that you're here. Here's what Pilestedt has said as a response instead of only looking at one link and getting upset over nothing

https://x.com/llama96289/status/1902511973088059405
"Twitter user: The game just wants you to identify facism, that's it. The Journalist seems to just misinterpreting what he is trying to say."

"Pilestedt: Yes. Thank you. [heart emoji]"

https://x.com/ChoppsPete/status/1902508993857392968

"Twitter user: What I don’t get is it sounds like you want people to feel uncomfortable about playing your game?

Why? That’s successful long-term?

Genuine question."

"Pilestedt: Hey, we have talked about it at the studio. We believe most people feel comfortable since it's all make belief and role-playing. Gamers are smart and can differentiate between jokingly rooting for the empire in star wars or the mobile infantry in starship troopers."

https://x.com/SCShipyards/status/1902502930382782875

"Twitter user: So the article misquoted you?"

"Pilestedt: I don't think it misquoted me, I think I was a bit uncareful with the way that it came across and that it can be interpreted in multiple ways.

The unfortunate reality is that a message given has as many meanings as recipients.

Thank you for following up and asking further questions :)"

https://x.com/Pilestedt/status/1902558812378222623?t=hbjIH8L1_7smwutnjDll0Q&s=19

'Hey yeah. I was a bit uncareful with how I expressed this, and didn't realize it could be picked up as something negative. Should've been more clear.

They reached out to us after the game blew up to talk about "what role satire in games play in psychological defense against totalitarianism".

The quote on us wanting to "brainwash" the community was made as a note on getting everyone to roleplay the message of totalitarian state of Super Earth."

Alongside this

https://x.com/KDirectorate/status/1902443180148060625?t=fI6e6wEBDCoc4GS63amToQ&s=19

"Twitter User: "We asked ourselves, could we brainwash an entire community to fight for a fascist state? Would they? Would we be okay with that? And turns out, yeah, actually," -- This is absolutely nonsensical. Have UBoat players been brainwashed to fight for Germany? If this is how HD2 devs think it does make other decisions and updates they've made that show contempt for their audience more understandable."

"Pilestedt: Hey sorry, I was more talking about the community yelling traitor and going with the role-playing :)

Or course everyone knows its a joke, but for satire to work, you need to play it straight [attached image is of two panels of an individual with a Helldivers helmet calling their democracy officer. The first dialing, the second with phone to ear]"


There's probably a few more comments of his but this gets the point across well enough

[Honkler]

For all your diplomatic overtures, this post will just mean war for people who want to take it a certain way

Buckle up, buckleroo

[The_Dipl0mat]

Originally posted by Honkler:

For all your diplomatic overtures, this post will just mean war for people who want to take it a certain way

Buckle up, buckleroo

Thats the fun part because it'll be like the circus

[Honkler]

Originally posted by The_Dipl0mat:

Originally posted by Honkler:

For all your diplomatic overtures, this post will just mean war for people who want to take it a certain way

Buckle up, buckleroo

Thats the fun part because it'll be like the circus

You know what they don't have in a circus?

A good range of cheese

[Chizzit]

Ah, so this is what the 'controversy' is. Gotcha.

I thought we already went through "is the game actually satire", but I guess it's time to go through it again? I mean, considering people today still try to blast Starship Troopers as being 'pro-fascism', I guess that we will see the same for HD2 as long as it stays as popular of a game as it is.

[The_Dipl0mat]

Originally posted by Honkler:

Originally posted by The_Dipl0mat:

Thats the fun part because it'll be like the circus

You know what they don't have in a circus?

A good range of cheese

Yeah :(
That's why I bring my own! Cotswold, supreme brie, garlic and herb fromage daffonois, sea salt crackers, aged gouda, salami, and maybe some hot honey

[The_Dipl0mat]

Originally posted by Chizzit:

Ah, so this is what the 'controversy' is. Gotcha.

I thought we already went through "is the game actually satire", but I guess it's time to go through it again? I mean, considering people today still try to blast Starship Troopers as being 'pro-fascism', I guess that we will see the same for HD2 as long as it stays as popular of a game as it is.

Just like most other controversies, it's blown out of proportion

[Kev]

I'd really like to give Pilestedt the benefit of the doubt and assume that during that interview, when he was talking about having been able to brainwash a whole community, it was in a very joking tone that doesn't come across at all in written form. Because that is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ WILD blanket statement to say about millions of players unprovoked unless you're joking around.

If anything, it's another reminder that you can never be too suspicious of game journalists.

[Husker_85]

Originally posted by Kev:

Because that is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ WILD blanket statement to say about millions of players unprovoked unless you're joking around.

Unprovoked?! People are trying to take a piece of satirical fiction out of it's satirical context. THAT is definitely provocation

[Hong Kong Phooey]

They deleted my post? Holy fascism. These people are utterly clueless.

[Artifice]

Relax, hero—Arrowhead didn't brainwash anyone. If you think playing Helldivers 2 secretly means endorsing fascism, then I can't even imagine the moral crisis you faced playing Pac-Man. Did you panic over aligning with a pill-popping serial ghost murderer too?

Newsflash: Gaming isn’t secretly indoctrinating you into politics any more than Mario Kart is convincing people to toss banana peels onto highways. The only thing forcibly rammed down anyone's throat here is your overdramatic rant. Arrowhead isn't "lashing out"—they're probably just confused how rescuing kids from a hospital somehow made you spiral into a political identity crisis.

Also, thanks for the nostalgia trip to the '90s moral panic—but you've ironically become exactly what you're ranting against: an overly sensitive moral busybody crying "politics!" every time a dev sneezes in a direction you don’t like. Maybe next you'll accuse Minecraft of promoting deforestation or Tetris of encouraging unsafe stacking practices.

Chill out, pick up your controller, and let people enjoy a game about hilariously dodging death-by-drop-pod without spinning into a conspiracy theory.

[The_Dipl0mat]

Originally posted by Artifice:

Relax, hero—Arrowhead didn't brainwash anyone. If you think playing Helldivers 2 secretly means endorsing fascism, then I can't even imagine the moral crisis you faced playing Pac-Man. Did you panic over aligning with a pill-popping serial ghost murderer too?

Newsflash: Gaming isn’t secretly indoctrinating you into politics any more than Mario Kart is convincing people to toss banana peels onto highways. The only thing forcibly rammed down anyone's throat here is your overdramatic rant. Arrowhead isn't "lashing out"—they're probably just confused how rescuing kids from a hospital somehow made you spiral into a political identity crisis.

Also, thanks for the nostalgia trip to the '90s moral panic—but you've ironically become exactly what you're ranting against: an overly sensitive moral busybody crying "politics!" every time a dev sneezes in a direction you don’t like. Maybe next you'll accuse Minecraft of promoting deforestation or Tetris of encouraging unsafe stacking practices.

Chill out, pick up your controller, and let people enjoy a game about hilariously dodging death-by-drop-pod without spinning into a conspiracy theory.

Might wanna read the post :P

[Husker_85]

Originally posted by Hong Kong Phooey:

They deleted my post? Holy fascism. These people are utterly clueless.

You have a blatantly racist display name. I'm sure the mods had a good reason for removing your post

[The_Dipl0mat]

Originally posted by Husker_85:

Originally posted by Hong Kong Phooey:

They deleted my post? Holy fascism. These people are utterly clueless.

You have a blatantly racist display name. I'm sure the mods had a good reason for removing your post

Especially considering it's likely one of the already too many "oh meh gerd CEO evil and brainwashy" posts

[*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆Prinny☆]

♥♥♥♥ like this will always get out of hand because the previous year built up a rough reputation for Arrowhead among the player base.
Though Piles should really choose his English better. Or just stray away from this topic altogether.

[ressenmacher]

Bumping for visibility. Thanks for taking the time to compile some context and help us all sort through this sensationalized mess.