Helldivers 2 CEO Warns Players: ‘J.O.E.L. is Coming for You Now,’ Just as They Weren’t Already Anxious About the War’s Next Phase

It seems like something major has been on the horizon in Helldivers 2’s Galactic War for some time now, especially with the repeated encounters with automatons. If the suspense hasn’t got to you yet, then the recent statement from Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani might just get your attention.

For those not in the know, players have been noticing peculiar events that they suspect could be leading up to something big—like the Meridia black hole making its way toward Super Earth. This could coincide with a massive new offensive from the Illuminate. With the game’s one-year anniversary just around the corner on February 8th, it would be quite the anniversary surprise.

What’s really getting players both nervous and excited is a comment Jorjani made on the game’s Discord earlier this week. He said, “I just wanna give you folks big props for the DSS maneuver you did,” acknowledging players’ victories over the jet brigade on Menkent and Lesath. He added, “Brilliant move. J.O.E.L. is out to get you now.” Doesn’t sound ominous at all, right?

Unsurprisingly, Reddit’s been abuzz, with players practically gearing up for battle. They’re anticipating the baton will soon pass from the current bot orders to something fresh, possibly within a day of this writing. Some have shared humor, likening the situation to the game master conjuring a legendary beast, akin to Davy Jones unleashing the Kraken for the Illuminate.

Meanwhile, some players are more defiant, comparing their resolve to scenes from “Independence Day,” proclaiming, “Cry me a river J.O.E.L. If your jet brigade didn’t want to get obliterated, they shouldn’t have blown up so spectacularly!”

To be honest, Helldivers 2 fans have recently been armed with shovels in addition to the latest warbond’s portable hellbomb and other useful items. They just might have the firepower needed to handle whatever curveball J.O.E.L. throws at them next.