- Helldivers 2 studio director Johan Pilestedt says that DEI detracts from the game experience if it doesn’t add anything new.
- The unnecessary forcing of DEI in titles affects how it performs and takes away from other enjoyable elements.
- Johan believes games should be more about pursuing amazing moments, like in the old days.
Sony’s live-service portfolio was quite a hit-and-miss last year. Concord became one of the biggest flops of the gaming scene, and many blamed the unnecessary DEI for its failure. However, Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 proved to be the opposite of the former. It went on to win many accolades across the industry and has been praised for avoiding the controversial DEI elements.
Now, studio director Johan Pilestedt has explained his stance on DEI, claiming that it detracts from the game experience if it doesn’t add anything unique.
Why it matters: The words of the Arrowhead studio director have become quite controversial. Many players have shown support for his stance, while others argued over why he even addressed the issue.
In a Twitter post discussing Arrowhead’s next game, the studio director answered a user who requested not to bring DEI to his games. He clarified that games should be about the pursuit of amazing moments, like how it used to be in the past.
Johan further claims that he dislikes labels entirely. However, if he were to define DEI in Helldivers 2, it would be mankind’s extreme xenophobia against the invading aliens.
The director admits to not caring about the whole dilemma, noting developers should develop ‘great games’ instead of making contemporary political statements.
The reaction of the community has been quite split to Johan’s response. Many came forward to support his opinion, while others left some pretty toxic remarks. All in all, it is best to take his words with a grain of salt.
Do you think the remarks of the Arrowhead director perfectly capture the impact that DEI can have in modern games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the official Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devotedly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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