In the new cooperative shooter Helldivers 2 (Steam, PlayStation), players’ decisions influence the game’s narrative. As the developers recently revealed, there is a mysterious presence pulling the strings in the background: the all-powerful Joel.
In Helldivers 2, it’s all about spreading democracy in a hostile galaxy. The actions of players impact the narrative of the cooperative shooter: if players successfully complete operations, the percentage in a planet’s “Liberation Indicator” increases.
However, if a planet’s Liberation Indicator drops to 0, the area falls into the hands of enemies, as seen in the fateful battle for Malevelon Creek. What the “Space Vietnam” is all about can be found out from our colleagues at GameStar.
As the developers revealed in an interview with PC Gamer, the fate of the galaxy is not only guided by players but also by a guy named Joel.
Some events in Helldivers 2 are improvised
Who the hell is Joel? Joel is a developer at Arrowhead Games who holds the official title “Game Master.” This was revealed by CEO Johan Pilestedt to PC Gamer. Joel is supposed to function similarly to a Dungeon Master in Dungeons & Dragons. The pen & paper game was a huge inspiration for the studio, Pilestedt said.
With Helldivers 2, they want to replicate the collaborative, interactive storytelling of a classic tabletop RPG, the CEO explains. While the campaign is designed for millions of players instead of just a small group, Pilestedt believes that they can still introduce the same twists and turns as in the original.
How does it work? As Pilestedt explains, the studio has incorporated many systems into the game to provide the Game Master with control over the player experience. Based on in-game events, these systems are intended to evolve continuously.
However, the CEO cannot reveal too much just yet, as the details are still secret. “We want to surprise and delight,” says Pilestedt. The studio has, however, made some predictions about how the galactic war will unfold.
Building on these forecasts, there are “set pieces” that they believe will play a significant role. In true tabletop fashion, the course of the story depends on the players’ behavior.
Joel’s decisions have already had an impact on the player experience, of which the countless “Helldivers” may not even be aware. For that, the Game Master sometimes has to work in the middle of the night.
“God is real, and his name is Joel”
So what does Joel do?
There were sudden moments when a planet might have been too easy or one too difficult and [Joel] had to get up in the middle of the night and send the Automatons a bit of reinforcement so that the players wouldn’t take [the planet] too quickly.
Joel’s improvisational skills also showed when players captured the first Terminus planets faster than Arrowhead expected. Therefore, there was an unscheduled rest day before the invasion of the Automatons, during which nothing was supposed to happen.
Joel, in his “infinite wisdom,” decided what would happen when a faction captures a planet: they would initially mine everything. This decision resulted in all players having the “Incendiary Mine” stratagem available for free in all missions for 24 hours.
How are the players reacting? This revelation isn’t entirely new, as the developers had already explained some time ago that there would be a “human touch” in Helldivers 2. This was already discussed in early February on Reddit.
Nevertheless, Pilestedt’s explanation of how it all works is a revelation for some players. YouTuber Mischief explains on X/Twitter: “God is real, and his name is Joel.”
On Reddit, players are excited about the return of the somewhat outdated Game Master system, as one might still remember from old-school MMOs. This represents a whole new level of community involvement.
However, some fear that Joel’s influence could also bring disadvantages. For example, players’ actions may have less impact than assumed, and victory and defeat could depend on the mood of the Game Master in the worst-case scenario.
Update 14:00 – Pilestedt has already dispelled some of the concerns with a post on X/Twitter. He writes that the role of the Game Master is to decide which dailies are active and where the enemies will attack. The war and the liberation of the planets, however, rest entirely in the hands of the players.
Other players seem particularly pleased to finally have someone to blame when something goes wrong: Too many enemies spawn exactly when you want to bail? The liberation indicator of a planet drastically shifts overnight? You overslept? Well, it must have been that damn Joel’s doing.
Other games also rely on a Game Master: New MMORPG on Steam relies on real Game Masters, who can change your game at any time – now inviting for Beta
