The recent release of “Helldivers 2” has caused a surge in popularity for the movie “Starship Troopers”, bumping it up to the 19th most popular movie online according to Television Stats’ rankings for February 20. The correlation between the popularity of the movie and the release of the game is evident, as the movie saw a rise in views exactly one week after the game’s release for PC and PS5. Both “Starship Troopers” and “Helldivers 2” share a similar satirical portrayal of military action and the expansion of humanity into space.
Creative director of “Helldivers 2”, Johann Pilestedt, expressed his amazement at the coincidence, calling it “incredible”. Based on a novel by Robert A. Heinlein, “Starship Troopers” takes place in the 23rd century and follows a military force as they eradicate alien threats known as “Arachnids”. In contrast, “Helldivers 2” portrays a future Super Earth that operates under a “managed democracy” where elections have predictable outcomes. Players must protect Super Earth against Automations and Terminids to safeguard their planet’s “freedom”.
Despite the significant success of “Helldivers 2”, with server issues drawing attention, players are enjoying the sci-fi satire that inspired the game. Additionally, an in-game Easter egg suggests that a third enemy will be added to the game, returning from the original “Helldivers”. The reference to the Illuminate in a new ship message has fans eagerly anticipating the introduction of the faction to the shooter.
In other gaming news, Neonhive has rebranded as Neonhive Games and is launching as a publisher in support of indie games “Harvest Hunt” and “Slopecrashers” later this year. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the gaming industry has shown no signs of slowing down and continues to thrive with new releases and exciting developments
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