Helldivers II blew up last weekend and for good reason, as it was revealed suddenly that players in over a hundred regions would no longer get access to the game following a forced PSN link for PC users. This decision has since been reversed, but at the time it caused a huge PR disaster.
That disaster was even supported by some members of Arrowhead. Specifically, community manager Spitz urged players to make their thoughts known on the game's review page. Many at Arrowhead shared the frustrations of the player base, but as it seemed their hands were tied, the only thing Spitz could do was tell the players where to go and vent their anger.
Spitz has seemingly been fired due to this action, though. As shared on Discord (via GamesRadar), Spitz explained that they are no longer working at Arrowhead, and that the decision to leave was not voluntary. "Generally it's not a good idea to tell people to refund and leave negative reviews when you're a community manager," they wrote. "I appreciate all the support and I appreciate even more that everyone can play the game again without restrictions. I knew I was taking a risk with what I said about refunding and changing reviews. I stand by it. It was my job to represent the community, that's what I did."
Helldivers II players won the war, but they lost a good friend in Spitz along the way.