Helldivers 2 Movie: Developers Shouldn't Control Adaptation

At CES 2025, Sony surprised attendees with several movie and TV announcements, including an official Helldivers 2 film. This collaboration between Sony Productions and Sony Pictures was revealed by Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions, who expressed excitement about adapting the popular PlayStation game.

Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead, draws inspiration from Starship Troopers, depicting soldiers defending a fascist Super Earth regime against alien robots (Automatons) and bugs (Terminids), all while upholding "Managed Democracy."

While details remain scarce, Arrowhead CCO Johan Pilestedt confirmed some level of developer involvement to ensure faithfulness to the game's essence. However, he acknowledged Arrowhead's lack of filmmaking expertise, suggesting they won't have final creative control—a decision he believes is appropriate. Pilestedt stated, “I've been dodging this question. 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.”

The choice of Helldivers for adaptation, especially considering the existing Starship Troopers franchise, is intriguing. The project appears to be in its early stages, so significant updates may be some time away.

Helldivers 2's remarkable success, with 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, is further amplified by the recent release of the Illuminate update, introducing a third playable faction.

Sony's CES 2025 presentation also included announcements of a Horizon Zero Dawn movie adaptation and a Ghost of Tsushima anime adaptation. This demonstrates Sony's strong commitment to video game adaptations, complementing the upcoming Season 2 of HBO's The Last of Us in April.