Helldivers II is impressive for many reasons, but one thing that sticks out to us the more we play is how well-designed its galactic war mechanic is. In real-time, players can see the war changing, as humanity loses or gains territory.
According to Arrowhead Game Studios' CEO Johan Pilestedt, there is a person behind the curtain running the whole war. "We have an actual person with the job title of Game Master," Pilestedt told PC Gamer. "We have a lot of systems built into the game where the Game Master has a lot of control over the play experience. It's something that we're continuously evolving based on what's happening in the game. And as part of the roadmap, there are things that we want to keep secret because we want to surprise and delight."
That person's name is Joel, and at some points he'll apparently wake up in the middle of the night to send those blasted Automatons reinforcements. So, if you're looking to blame someone for the fall of Malevelon Creek, it's on Joel.
Pilestedt also said Arrowhead was inspired by Dungeons & Dragons when it came to reactive, collaborative storytelling. "It's the same format when you build that for millions of players, it's just that you can't get as personal with every individual. But you can still do the same twists and turns."
Apparently, even though Arrowhead has ideas of where the war may take us, the real defining factor is player behaviour.