Helldivers 2 Players Petition for the Return of Fired Community Manager

Helldivers 2 players started a petition calling on developer Arrowhead Game Studios to rehire community manager Spitz. With the recent PlayStation Network account-linking controversy finally at an end, much of the Helldivers 2 community has begun to shift focus back to the Galactic War. However, some fans were still dismayed upon hearing of the recent dismissal of Spitz from the official Discord channel and are doing all they can to gather their fellow players in support of the former community manager.

For context, Spitz was one of the community managers for the Helldivers 2 Discord channel, who became a controversial figure in the days following the account-linking update announcement. Many players slammed Spitz after he made several comments that they believed disparaged the fans outraged by the PSN account requirement. However, some users forgave the former community manager after he posted a public apology and encouraged PC players to flood the Helldivers 2 Steam page with negative reviews in the hopes of convincing publisher Sony to retract the requirement. While his advice was arguably intended to help the community channel their feedback, it also reportedly led to his involuntary termination.

Now, some Helldivers 2 players are calling for his reinstatement with a petition on change.org. Nicknaming themselves “Spitz’s Roughnecks,” these users believed the eponymous Spitz had done enough to redeem himself. The petition itself specifically called for Arrowhead Game Studios to bring back Spitz as a community manager for the official Discord channel, claiming that Spitz’s suggestion was one of the reasons why so many of them did not refund the game and that he additionally deserved the honor of being canonized in Helldivers 2 lore as “General Spitz.”

Helldivers 2 Players Call on Developers to ‘Free Spitz’

At the time of writing, the petition boasts over 3,600 signatures since it was opened. While it’s far from equalling the entirety of the devoted Helldivers 2 player base, the petition has notably only been active for a day, and more divers are signing on. It was additionally shared on the official Discord channel amid cries from users to “free Spitz.”

While Sony backtracked on Helldivers 2‘s account-linking update, there are still lingering tensions from the incident. Notably, Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pilestedt previously expressed how the controversy had deeply affected him and his team, and how its eventual resolution was a welcome relief. There are also players still wondering if Helldivers 2 will return to the dozens of countries where it was delisted from Steam, though reports from other users indicated that the title has already returned to some territories.

Despite lingering tensions between the studio and the player base, it seems the Helldivers 2 community is healing. With any luck, the controversy will provide a clear lesson to both developers and publishers, and future updates won’t distract players from Helldivers 2‘s Major Orders and the continuous war to spread managed democracy.

Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 is a third-person cooperative shooter developed by Arrowhead Games Studios for the PC and PlayStation 5 where players take control of a Helldiver set to protect the citizens of Super Earth by traveling to hostile alien worlds and destroying threats. Players undergo missions, defeat enemies, and use special items called Stratagems to help turn the tide of battle in this punishing release.

Franchise

Helldivers

Released

February 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Arrowhead Game Studios

Metascore

83