Killzone Returns? Helldivers 2 Leak Sparks Crossover Speculation

Sony’s long-dormant first-person shooter franchise, Killzone, won’t be receiving a new standalone game, but it’s set to return through a crossover of sorts with Helldivers 2. The often-grim Killzone series, which featured brutal combat and the terrifying Helghast, released five games from 2004 to 2013, the last of which was Killzone Shadow Fall, a launch title for the PlayStation 4. Once upon a time a mainstay in the game’s medium (and Sony’s approval to Microsoft’s Halo), the franchise has had a decade-long absence besides a mention in The Last of Us Part 2: Remastered. Much of developer Guerrilla Games’ attention has been turned toward the mega-popular Horizon series.

Killzone Could Return Through Helldivers 2 Crossover, Leaks Suggest, as Fans Await News on the Dormant Franchise

Details recently datamined from Helldivers 2 hint that Killzone could outlive its past. This includes the unannounced armor, the “Righteous Revenants Warbond,” which leaker Iron_S1ghts discovered includes the signature gas masks and glowing red eyes of the Helghast. The rapid takedown of these assets by Sony only lent further legitimacy to the crossover rumor.

This proposed Killzone-Helldivers 2 crossover was enough to spark interest among fans of the franchise who haven’t seen the light of day for several years. With Guerrilla Games fully busy with the current Horizon Online project and probably Horizon 3, any meaningful revival of Killzone would most likely necessitate the involvement of another developer.

For example, recently Johan Pilestedt, Helldivers 2 creative director and Arrowhead CCO, spoke about how he and his studio have been all about the game’s identity and that cautious approach to crossovers where they could dilute the true purpose of Helldivers 2 communities. He did mention a wishlist of IPs he’d love to take a crack at, such as Aliens, Star Wars, and Warhammer 40k — but not Killzone.

In the meantime, however, Helldivers 2 has been going gangbusters, most recently launching its Illuminate update, which adds a new enemy faction. With 12 million copies sold in 12 weeks, Helldivers 2 is the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon, fans can’t wait to see just how the potential Killzone crossover happens.

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