Fortnite's New Season Draws Parallels to Helldivers 2 - Developers Respond
The current Fortnite season pits players against swarms of insectoid aliens (affectionately dubbed "Bugs") while progressing through their battle pass - a premise that's raising eyebrows among Helldivers 2 fans.
Arrowhead Game Studios, creators of the wildly popular co-op shooter featuring... well, soldiers battling insectoid alien "Bugs," has responded to the striking similarities with characteristic humor and grace.
"We Have Helldivers at Home"
Community manager Katherine Baskin cheekily remarked on Discord: "Hmmm... it's giving 'we have Helldivers at home' energy," before reassuring fans: "I'm not worried."
"Fortnite is Fortnite, Helldivers is Helldivers," she continued. "If the kings of gaming cosmetics think our aesthetic is worth... drawing inspiration from... that's actually awesome. But let's be real - our gameplay experiences couldn't be more distinct. There's plenty of room for everyone in the gaming ecosystem."
When pressed for comment, Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani delivered a characteristically witty response, calling the new season "very democratic" - a clever nod to Helldivers' lore about humanity's "Great Democratization" era.
Epic's Signature Crossover Chaos
Of course, Fortnite has built its empire on pop culture pastiche, having remixed everything from God of War to Travis Scott concerts. This season continues the tradition by letting players team up with unlikely allies including:
- An anthropomorphic panda
- The Power Rangers
- Halo's iconic Spartan warriors
Early reception suggests the recipe works - Epic Games reports players have already eliminated over 250 million space bugs since the season launched. Rumor has it skateboarding turtles may join the fray soon as pet companions, proving once again that in Fortnite's world, no pop culture reference is too bizarre to include.
