Helldivers 2 continues to enjoy a major breakout, sitting near the top of Steam's top-selling and most-played games lists and boasting over 250,000 "very positive" reviews. Part of the reason for this is that the game is a very exciting and comprehensive galactic warfare that is brilliantly presented, but it is also due in no small part to the fact that the game adheres to certain principles, such as with regard to friendly fire.

As any experienced helldiver will know, the only thing more dangerous than bots and bugs are, yes, other helldivers. In addition to explosives launched from orbit, they crash onto the planet with frighteningly powerful weapons that, if used carelessly, can disintegrate fellow Helldivers. The game is so chaotic that it is very difficult to keep track of where your so-called friends are, which means that friendly fire is a frequent influence.

Many players, myself included, find this a refreshing change of pace. It adds a delicious layer of consequence to all decisions, especially those involving the heaviest hardware, and means that if a teammate does something stupid, the flow can change completely. That said, not everyone likes friendly fire. Some players just complain, while others are skeptical that automatons are behind it.

Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, touched on the subject for the first time, telling players that friendly fire in Helldivers 2 will "never change," thereby adopting the authoritarian Super Earth spirit a bit (first discovered by GR+). His words were in response to players who were concerned that they might want to add some sort of on/off toggle in the future, and Pilestedt added:

"If you turn off friendly fire, you also have to turn off bullet damage against the enemy That's the law. That's the law.

To be fair, at least friendly fire is capable of melting and smashing bugs together, which seems to be a core part of "Helldivers 2's" identity (as was the first film). It also creates new possibilities that would not otherwise exist, such as ways for Helldivers to get back at their harmful hosts.

When Helldivers 2 players are not gibing each other into little democratic chunks, they are failing major orders and being denied the right to procreate (they need the extra space for babies, see?). If morale still isn't down, things may turn around soon... In a bad way. Not only did Pilestedt address the Friendly Fire, but he also retracted his previous statement that "bugs can't fly," which may not come as a surprise to those who saw the clip.