Helldivers 2 director weighs in on Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's difficulty: 'A game for everyone is a game for no one'

Despite its critical success, most of the discourse surrounding Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree involves how difficult the game is, with many players bogged down by brutal boss fights and an unforgiving environment. It got so bad that the DLC is currently at Mixed reviews on Steam as many players agree it's too hard to be enjoyable, but even still, there are some fans who think the high skill ceiling is a great feature and one that makes FromSoft games stand out. 

One such person is Helldivers 2 director Johan Pilestedt, who recently began <a data-analytics-id=«inline-link» href=«https://x.com/Pilestedt/with_replies?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor» target="_blank" data-url=«https://x.com/Pilestedt/with_replies?ref_src=» https: referrerpolicy=«no-referrer-when-downgrade» data-hl-processed=«none»>replying to Shadow of the Erdtree players

, discussing its difficulty and talking about why he actually likes it. «The games industry is now big enough for there to be so many exciting experiences for all audiences,» Pilestedt says. «I try to imagine having this variety when I was 10… It would have been mind-blowing!»

While it's true that Elden Ring's DLC, like many FromSoft games, may not be for everyone, that doesn't mean it needs to be changed. It takes a very specific kind of person to actually enjoy fighting FromSoft bosses, otherwise known as bashing your head against a brick wall, but to the players who do like it, the sense of accomplishment after managing to best whoever you're up against is second to none. 

«A game for everyone is a game for no one,» Pilestedt says. «Always cater to a select audience.» The first bit of this quote is like a kind of motto for Arrowhead. If you head over to the Helldivers 2 website, then you'll be greeted by the same words in big, bold lettering. 

Both Helldivers 2 and FromSoft games are exceptionally popular despite their niche appearances. Helldivers 2 may not be anywhere near as hard as Elden Ring or other