Helldivers 2 Dev says it will never add “PvP” because it wants to “reduce toxic elements” from the community

Are you playing Helldivers 2 and wondering if the developers will add a player versus player mode? Don't hold your breath – the head of developer Arrowhead Game Studios said that will never happen.

Reply to a user on Twitter/XArrowhead CEO Johan Bilstedt said the developer would “never” add PvP to Helldivers 2 in order to reduce “toxic elements” from the community.

“Oh; we will never add a PvP mode,” said Billstedt. “This is to reduce toxic elements from the community.

“We want a supportive, fun environment where we're all fighting on the same side!”

Helldivers 2 is a cooperative third-person shooter in which players team up to take on alien bugs and robots across large maps filled with over-the-top action, explosions and a plethora of epic moments.

Although there is no PvP mode, players are as much a danger to each other as they are to the enemy. Helldivers 2 is a friendly fire game, which means a stray bullet from a squad member could be disastrous. Towers can also kill your friends, or even you, if you get in their way. Devastating orbital strikes can pose a threat to your friends as well as enemy outposts.

One of the nice things about Helldivers 2 is that players have established “unspoken” co-op etiquette, which is useful for a game where voice communications are rarely used when playing with randoms. What I can say is that grief is unusual in Helldivers 2, but it does happen. I've seen some players report that they've encountered players who engaged in a mass killing spree. Some even knock the entire party into orbit as soon as they appear on the map, just to do it again apparently for laughs. And The team was killed during the extractionor Kicking a teammate during extraction After a 40 minute mission sometimes happens.

We don't want the toxicity that comes with it naturally. There are many, in fact most, games that offer PvP.

Pilestedt also responded to a user who accused Arrowhead of being “scared” of adding PvP to Helldivers 2, denying this. “I'm not afraid,” Billstedt said. “We just don't want the toxicity that naturally comes with it. There are many, in fact most, games that offer PvP.

“We make games for people who just want to have a challenging time with friends but in a PvE environment.”

Pilestedt then directed players who wanted a PvP experience to the extraction shooter Escape from Tarkov: “If you want PvP I recommend @tarkov,” Pilestedt said.

According to Pilestedt, Helldivers 2 has already sold one million copies across PlayStation 5 and PC, smashing all expectations in the process. And Despite various reconciliation issuesHelldivers 2 shows no sign of slowing down. Check out IGN Helldivers 2 tips and tricks to get started If you jump in.

Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. You can find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].