The Helldivers 2 Superstore is usually a good source of hilarious Amazon bot-style reviews for gear and weapons, but this weekend, it’s also a commentary on current video game controversies.
It’s been a rough few days for Escape from Tarkov‘s developer Battlestate Games. It announced a new premium edition that backtracked on promises made by a previous premium edition before finally listening to fans and giving them what they wanted. This all revolves around the Unheard Edition of the game, which was highlighted this weekend by Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios through an in-game Superstore promotion.
Helldivers 2 developer promotes in-game armor using Escape from Tarkov controversy
Yesterday, Arrowhead Game Studios promoted a fairly normal, though pretty shiny armor set from the Helldivers 2 Superstore. If you’ve been keeping up with what’s been happening with Escape from Tarkov, then the following Twitter post needs little explanation. If not, don’t worry, I’ll explain it all.
What this post and the armor listing make fun of is how Battlestate Games pitched the Unheard Edition of Escape from Tarkov to fans. It promised an exclusive PvE mode that definitely wasn’t DLC, meaning all owners of the End of Darkness Edition wouldn’t be entitled to the new content.
Note the capitalization of the word “Unhead” and the fact that “True Believers” is used, as well as how the armor isn’t available for free to Super Citizens. Of course, this is a big dig at the Unheard Edition of Escape from Tarkov, which earlier this week replaced the previous premium edition, the End of Darkness Edition, and was set to lock a new game mode behind a paywall for those who had already the End of Darkness Edition.
The term “True Believers” has become somewhat of a catchphrase for the Escape from Tarkov debacle. It stems from a leaked interview discussing the Unheard Edition. Looking through the comments on that Reddit post, there’s really no question that what Battlestate Games did with the Unheard Edition hurt fans of its game and why it caused an uproar within its community.
As for the PvE mode, according to Escape from Tarkov‘s developer, Battlestate Games, it wasn’t deemed enough of a new feature to be a DLC. Now, due to the huge amount of backlash it’s caused, the DLC will be available to those who purchased the End of Darkness Edition.
In Helldivers 2, Super Citizen is a Title given to those who purchase the Deluxe Edition. In the above post, it’s mentioned as a deliberate reference to the initial withholding of the upcoming PvE mode to End of Darkness Edition owners. What makes this jab at Battlestate Games even funnier is that Helldivers 2 is a game that barely charges players for additional content. Every Warbond, its season passes, is optional and can even be purchased using currency found during missions.
What I love most about this is that Helldivers 2, a game that intentionally frames the horrors of war through satirical commentary, has used Escape from Tarkov‘s controversy to promote armor and effectively incorporate it into its own lore. When the mode is finally released, all I’ll be able to think about is my CM-21 Trench Paramedic armor.
