The community manager of Helldivers 2 has apparently been fired after all. Now the community is once again rallying to bring him back to his position.
Players of Helldivers 2 are diving into a new battle after they have already won as a community against Sony’s PSN mandate, as Sony has now backtracked. There will indeed be no PSN mandate.
This time, however, it is about the developer studio of Helldivers 2, Arrowhead. Apparently, the community manager of the successful shooter has now indeed been fired.
What exactly happened? Helldivers 2 experienced a high on Steam that lasted for several weeks. The game was an absolute hit and the number one topic of conversation – until the shitstorm came.
After the announced PSN mandate, players flooded Helldivers 2 with negative reviews. Sony’s policy required a mandatory linking of PlayStation Network (PSN) and Steam accounts – which is technically unfeasible in many countries.
Furthermore, there was a platform mandate in some countries. In Ukraine, players needed a PS4 or PS5 to even create a PSN account. In response to the PSN mandate, Steam stopped selling Helldivers 2 in many countries.
Players fight for community manager, want him back at all costs
How was the community manager involved? The community manager Spitz
was also not pleased with the PSN mandate, but only after he learned that the shooter was no longer available in many countries. Previously, he had used inappropriate language and attacked players, for which he later apologized.
After learning this important detail, he encouraged the players to speak out against Sony. The community manager Spitz
advised the angry players to continue writing negative reviews and also to request refunds.
The reason: Although the negative feedback is painful, it is good
, as it allows them to engage with Sony and bring it into the discussion. However, this engagement seems to have cost him his job.
What does Spitz say about the firing? Initially, Spitz informed the community that he nearly got fired because of his actions. Spitz is now reaching out to the players again to let them know about the news that he has indeed been let go from his job as community manager (CM): Every war has its casualties
, Schwartz said regarding this (via PC Gamer).
“In general, it’s not a good idea to tell people as a community manager to refund the game and leave negative reviews,” Spitz emphasized on Discord (via VideoGamer). He stressed that he stood by his actions and explained that his job was to represent the community and that he did that.
But the players do not want to let this stand.
Over 6,000 players have signed so far
How are the players responding? The Helldivers community apparently wants Spitz back as community manager at all costs – a petition has even been started on Change.org. This aims to reverse Spitz’s dismissal. Under the title: Rehire the legendary community manager General Spitz
, the petition has already collected over 6,000 signatures.
In the petition, they implore Arrowhead to urgently
reinstate community manager (CM) Spitz in recognition of his bold community management strategy, which not only worked but also restored the trust of a large part of its community back to his former position as CM
.
It remains to be seen whether the community’s commitment and the petition will have any effect. It is also unclear whether community manager Spitz even wants the job back. The dedicated bond of Helldivers 2 to the community has been evident from the very beginning, as reflected in the handling of Joel: Helldivers 2: Who is Joel? – The man who shapes the fate of the Over-Earth.
