Helldivers 2 'Looking Into' Removing Controversial Feature

Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Shams Jorjani addresses fan complaints about Helldivers 2's anti-cheat GameGuard, hinting that it could be removed entirely. Helldivers 2 remains in a tricky spot as of late, with Arrowhead attempting to fix and address complaints surrounding the game's technical performance.

Helldivers 2's devs explain why the PC file size is so large

Following the launch of Into the Unjust, Helldivers 2 has seen a concerning number of technical issues, with players also noting poor optimization, rising file sizes, and other performance issues. The outcry became so loud that Helldivers 2 game director Mikael Eriksson released a State of Game video to lay out the studio's plans for addressing the issues. To help give the developers a bit more time, the studio is slowing its release cadence, and it seems no solution is too big as the GameGuard kernel-level anti-cheat system is even being looked at.

Helldivers 2 Devs Address Load Time and Installation Size Concerns

Arrowhead's Deputy Technical Director explains why Helldivers 2's PC file size is so large and outlines devs' plans to resolve issues relating to it.

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By Aaron McKinley

Helldivers 2 Could Remove GameGuard Anti-Cheat

Responding to a fan on the official Helldivers 2 Discord channel over potential alternatives to GameGuard, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani admitted that the studio is focusing on getting the next Helldivers 2 patch out, and then will "tackle this other hydra head." Although Jorjani recently pushed back on potential performance issues caused by GameGuard, things have apparently changed internally, though removing the tool may be trickier than expected though the idea of removing it in general has been positively received by the community.

The news should please many players who have called for changes to Helldivers 2. Outside the current technical and performance issues currently impacting things, some players found that GameGuard blocked some of Helldivers 2's accessibility features. Following that revelation, former Arrowhead CEO and current CCO, Johan Pilestedt, confirmed the studio was looking into the issue. Outright removing the feature, which seems to continue to be a source of community strife, seems to be the next logical step.

Anti-cheat controversies are nothing new in the gaming industry, as fans have a long history of pushing back against anything that could interfere with their gaming experience. While many games have turned to their own proprietary anti-cheat programs like Ricochet or Vanguard, there are countless examples of anti-tamper programs like Denuvo being removed from titles after they launch due to concerns from players about performance and how invasive it can be.

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Third-Person Shooter

Extraction Shooter

Action

Science Fiction

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%

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Released: February 8, 2024
ESRB: Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s): Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
Publisher(s): Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Publishing