Helldivers 2 Movie: Developers Lack Final Say

At the tech-focused CES 2025, Sony made several unexpected announcements regarding movie and TV show adaptations of its video games, including the confirmation of an official film based on the popular PlayStation game, Helldivers 2. This upcoming movie is a collaborative effort between Sony Productions and Sony Pictures. During the CES event, Asad Qizilbash, the head of PlayStation Productions, expressed excitement about the project, stating, "Looking ahead as to what might come next, I'm excited to announce we are working with Sony Pictures on developing a film adaptation of our amazingly popular PlayStation game Helldivers 2."

Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead, draws significant inspiration from the cult classic sci-fi satire, Starship Troopers. The game follows future soldiers defending a fascist Super Earth regime against alien robots known as Automatons and bugs called Terminids, all while promoting "Managed Democracy."

While fans eagerly await more information about the Helldivers 2 movie, both Sony and Arrowhead have remained tight-lipped about further details. However, Johan Pilestedt, Arrowhead's CCO, responded to a query on X/Twitter about the developer's involvement in the film's production. Pilestedt admitted to dodging the question previously but confirmed that Arrowhead would have some input. He emphasized that the team lacks the expertise to have creative control over the movie, which he believes is the correct approach. "I've been dodging this question," Pilestedt said. "The short answer is yes. The long answer is that we'll see. We are not Hollywood people, and we don't know what it takes to make a movie. And therefore we don't, and shouldn't, have final say."

Given the similarities to Starship Troopers, the choice of Helldivers for a movie adaptation might seem unconventional. It will be fascinating to see how Sony approaches this adaptation and who they choose to bring on board. The project appears to be in its very early stages, suggesting that more detailed information might not be forthcoming for some time.

Helldivers 2 has achieved remarkable success, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game of all time with 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks. The game has seen a resurgence in popularity following the release of the long-awaited Illuminate update, which introduces a third faction for players to battle against.

In addition to the Helldivers 2 film, Sony's CES 2025 press conference also revealed plans for a movie adaptation of Guerrilla's Horizon Zero Dawn and an anime adaptation of Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima. Sony's commitment to adapting its video games into other media is evident, especially with the upcoming Season 2 of the hit HBO show, The Last of Us, set to premiere in April.