Yee-naw: Helldivers 2 Director Backs Arrowhead’s Controversial No Cowboy Hat Rule, Declaring “Hats Don’t Belong on Helmets”

As you may have heard—and we’ve certainly mentioned it a few times already this week—Helldivers 2 recently introduced a cowboy-themed Warbond called Borderline Justice. Interestingly, it doesn’t come with a cowboy hat, because Arrowhead, the game’s developer, believes that such headwear doesn’t meet the Helldiver uniform guidelines.

Naturally, not everyone agrees with this restriction. A fair number of players have expressed their disagreement by grabbing mods that allow them to pair the new armor with a classic ten-gallon hat. Johan Pilestedt, the currently-on-sabbatical director and chief creative officer of Helldivers 2, shared his perspective on this debate through a series of tweets while attending the Game Developers Conference (GDC).

When players were asked for feedback about the new Borderline Justice gear, many of them quickly inquired about the missing cowboy hat. Some even asked whether the game might get one in the future. In response, Pilestedt mentioned, “I don’t know—I haven’t been part of the design conversations. But I think it crosses the line of what Helldivers represent, and I agree with that sentiment.” He added that he would check with the team next time he stops by the office. In another reply, he stated, “It would be awesome, but I think it would undermine the Helldivers’ aesthetic. People don’t typically wear hats over helmets.”

This statement left some players a bit frustrated, as they pointed out that last year’s Viper Commandos Warbond included the PH-9 Predators armor, which featured a beret worn atop a helmet. This seemingly contradicts the strict uniform regulations Pilestedt referenced. It raises the question: do cowboys march into battle, and is a cavalry hat altogether different?

Amidst these conversations, Pilestedt did hint at an exciting possibility for the future—a perk that lets players use sidearms as primary weapons and even wield them akimbo. While he mentioned that creating the animations for such a feature is a substantial task, he left the door open for it to happen down the line.

How about you? Do you ever find yourself donning a hat over a helmet in real life? Share your thoughts and tell us which helmet we’re talking about in the comments below!