With the PSN account linking fiasco now in the rearview mirror, what was nearly a disaster moment for Helldivers 2 is now becoming a part of community lore. Fans have been busy working on cape designs since Sony reversed course, at least some of which have seemingly caught the eye of the development team.
The movement began after Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt noted an "accidental cape design" from a member on Discord — four red lines denoting Helldivers 2's plummeting reviews over the weekend.
Also, the accidental cape design is pretty cool. From a community member. pic.twitter.com/7LQZA6Rekw
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 6, 2024
Another community member soon responded to Pilestedt's post with a more refined design, leading to other fans coming forward with ideas of their own.
Or this... pic.twitter.com/qd4Gm5mzSm
— 13 Ghosts of RAGS (@RAGS_Comix) May 6, 2024
Since then, designs have rapidly proliferated. Over on Reddit, one Helldivers 2 fan made a full-blown concept they refer to as "The Prodigal Son." The cape contains a visual reference to Helldivers 2's Steam reviews and a description that reads, "The cape's cropped length symbolizes the brevity of galactic conflicts, thanks to the efficiency of the Helldivers."
The final blue arrow is a reference to what fans are calling "Operation Cleanup" — an attempt to reverse the effects of the review bombing campaign that sent Helldivers 2's broadly positive Steam reviews plummeting. The effort has already pushed recent reviews to "Mixed," which is a substantial improvement over the "Overwhelmingly Negative" sentiment that appeared over the weekend. More than a few fans noted the similarities of the red bars to Helldivers' familiar drop pods.
Apparently inspired, the Helldivers 2 team appears to be working on an official version of the cape, though Pilestedt says they're still thinking of a good name for it. Asked if it will be free, Pilestedt joked that it will be "$999.99 easy" before promising that it will "ofc be free."
The community effort follows a three-day saga that began with the notice that Helldivers 2 would require Steam players to link a PSN account beginning May 7. The subsequent uproar included Helldivers 2 getting hammered by hundreds of thousands of negative reviews while being delisted in 177 countries. PlayStation finally backed down on Sunday night, saying that it is "still learning what is best for PC players."
Now that the weekend-long fiasco is behind it, Arrowhead Studios is considerably more upbeat, with Pilestedt posting a photo of flowers sent by a community member. Earlier today, Pilestedt said that he was "impressed by the willpower of the Helldivers 2 community" while thanking PlayStation for acting quickly to roll back the unpopular policy.
One way or another, it seems like business as usual again as fans celebrate one of the biggest games of 2024. And even if the great PSN account linking debacle winds up being a footnote in Helldivers 2's history, it looks like the community will have a way to remember it.
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
