Helldivers 2’s developer, Arrowhead Game Studios, has garnered significant attention over the past year for its game master-driven narrative. To mark the first anniversary of Helldivers 2, the elusive game master, Joel, has made his first public appearance in a video discussing his favorite moments from the past year.
In this video, Joel reminisces about the early defense of swampy Mort, which he describes as a nail-biting highlight of the war. During a relentless 48-hour robotic siege on planets in the galactic southwest, the Helldivers’ forces faced dire circumstances when Steam maintenance disconnected all PC players. However, PlayStation Helldivers held out just long enough to allow for reinforcements to return and clinch a narrow victory in one of the most tension-filled battles to date.
Joel shares, “The only ones left on the ground of Mort were the PlayStation Helldivers. They held the line long enough for the Steam maintenance to conclude and the PC Helldivers to come back in. And with three minutes left the Helldivers turned a projected defeat into the most nail-bitingly close win that we had seen up to that point…”.
Keeping track of Joel’s antics and the community’s reactions has delighted many, especially those who appreciate the roleplaying roots of a game master. Initially, there was the surprising announcement that a single individual was orchestrating a dynamic meta-story over the past year. Recently, Arrowhead revealed that Joel’s role has expanded into a multi-person team overseeing these events.
Arrowhead’s innovative and captivating approach to live-service cooperative games has paid off, with Helldivers 2 being recognized as the best multiplayer game of 2024, even featuring a standout gun that won the title of best gun of the year.
Moving forward, Arrowhead expresses enthusiasm in continuing their game development efforts. Director Johan Pilestedt stated that if they can sustain the game for a decade, they will. Meanwhile, in-game, Joel is gearing up to have an imposing adversary throw a black hole into Super Earth as if it were a basketball.
