We're just a few weeks away from The Last of Us Part II Remastered arriving on PC on April 3, and we here at Naughty Dog wanted to make sure players were prepared for the journey ahead. Whether it's your first time experiencing Ellie and Abby's acclaimed stories, or you've previously played and are excited to jump in via a new format, we have plenty of quality-of-life features and even new content in store.

PC features detailed
The PC version of The Last of Us Part II Remastered brings with it all the improvements and new features added in the PlayStation 5 version released in 2024, such as the roguelike survival mode No Return, Guitar Free Play, and hours of developer commentary. And in partnership with our friends at Nixxes Software and Iron Galaxy, Part II Remastered has been brought to PC with plenty of PC-centric quality-of-life features that further bring the snow-covered mountains of Jackson, Wyoming, and the rainswept streets of Seattle, Washington to beautiful life.

Hideo Kojima took to the stage at SXSW yesterday and—joined by some special guests—discussed new details about Kojima Productions' Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Those details included the reveal of the game's release date: June 26, 2025. To mark the announcement - and pre-orders going live March 17—attendees enjoyed a first look at a special Kojima-directed Pre-Order trailer, which you can watch in full below.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will launch in a range of different versions. This includes a Collector's Edition, which will be available to pre-order directly from PlayStation and select retailers worldwide. Details on the different versions you can find here.

Sony Interactive has unveiled its new Beta Program at PlayStation, a central system that lets gamers sign up for upcoming beta tests across various PlayStation experiences. One registration allows users to show interest in testing PS5 and PC games new PS5 features, PlayStation App updates, and improvements to the user experience on PlayStation.com. "The Beta Program at PlayStation will create an easy, centralized place for you to register your interest in a range of future PlayStation betas." said Sid Shuman, senior director at Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Sony will send invites to chosen participants, who can then decide to join each specific beta. Sony made it clear in the blog post about the Beta Program that joining doesn't guarantee access to all future tests. It just means Sony will think about including you. To qualify, players need a PlayStation Network account in good standing, must live in a supported area, and meet their region's age rules. You can sign up for free, and it's becoming available worldwide at playstation.com/beta-program-at-playstation.

At Sony Interactive Entertainment, we are committed to fostering innovation and creativity in game development across the globe. As part of our continued effort to support emerging talent, we are thrilled to announce a new set of indie games from the India Hero Project, featuring two exciting and ambitious titles: Bloody Boots and Lokko, both coming to PS5 and PC. With these new titles the India Hero Project continues to shape the boundaries of storytelling, gameplay innovation, and artistic expression within the Indian gaming industry. Our goal is to not only support these developers in bringing their unique visions to life but also to help them reach a global audience on PlayStation.

Bloody Boots | Developer: Weloadin
Bloody Boots is a high-voltage third-person action-adventure game set in Crank Town, a dystopian entertainment hub powered by junk-punk advancements in biotech. This town thrives on illegal gambling and savage acts that push the limits of morality with twisted and chaotic activities. Play as a fugitive teen trapped in Crank Town's lawless mayhem. In a playground of ruthless mutants, mech-enhanced supervillains, and savage bosses. Fight to get your ticket out! Prepare for adrenaline-pumped action, in development for PS5 and PC.

Last month, Shuhei Yoshida announced his retirement from Sony Interactive Entertainment. His career at the company started back in 1986, and by 1993 he became involved with the corporation's nascent PlayStation division. The Japanese industry veteran has gone on a press appearance blitz over the past couple of weeks; many headlines have been generated by his candid musings. Most recently, Sacred Symbols+ engaged in a conversation with Yoshida—their (paywalled) two-hour long podcast episode (#347) was made available to subscribers this week. The former PlayStation chief divulged that he pushed hard for the conversion of first-party titles from console origins to PC platforms, but his colleagues were reportedly reluctant to adopt this practice (at the time). Yoshida-san outlined the benefits: "releasing on PC does many things: it reaches a new audience who do not own consoles—especially in regions where consoles are not as popular. The idea is that those people may become fans of a particular franchise, and when a new game in that series comes out, they may be convinced to purchase a PlayStation." Sony started readjusting its exclusivity model a few years ago; greater ambitions were revealed in 2024.

He continued with this thought process: "it also adds additional income, because porting to PC is way cheaper than creating an original title...So, it's almost like printing money. And that helps us to invest in new titles now that the cost of games has increased." The ex-SIE boss believes that emerging markets are best served with releases on PC. Yoshida mentioned a huge (almost untapped) market—his ex-colleagues could do well, by targeting said region in the near future: "China is a huge PC game market...And China is a growing but very small console market. In order to reach the audience in countries like China then it's crucial to release on PC. So, I believe PC versions really reach a new audience." PC gamers have largely welcomed an improved flow of ported first-party titles, but Sony has absorbed feedback flak in early 2025; namely an underwhelming reception to Marvel's Spider-Man 2. In late January, Team Sony announced a revised PlayStation Network account policy; backpedalling from a system that featured strict sign-in requirements.

We're happy to share that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is Steam Deck Verified! Experience two playable Spider-Men, traverse an expanded Marvel's New York and battle iconic Marvel Super Villains on your handheld device now! Be Greater. Together. The incredible power of the symbiote forces Peter Parker and Miles Morales into a desperate fight as they balance their lives, friendships, and their duty to protect in an exciting chapter of the critically acclaimed Spider-Man franchise on PC.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PC—Patch 3 Release Notes
Patch 3 is available now for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PC! This week's update includes stability improvements and bug fixes based on player feedback. We've also implemented the latest version of the NVIDIA Streamline SDK and included dozens of small visual bug fixes related to various aspects such as reflections, ray-traced shadows and textures. We are actively working on more updates with additional bug fixes and performance optimizations. Thank you to everyone for playing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PC and for providing feedback to help us continue to improve the game!

The wait is finally over. This is Yang Bing, as the creator of Lost Soul Aside, I couldn't be more excited to share some big news—our action RPG will officially launch on PlayStation 5 and PC on May 30, 2025! What started as a one-person dream (me, a computer, and endless late nights) has evolved into a sprawling adventure full of breathtaking visuals and adrenaline-pumping combat. Let me take you behind the scenes to explore the heart, soul, and sweat poured into this game. Whether you're here for the stylish combat or the gripping story, there's plenty to dive into. Let's get started!

A world that lives and breathes
Creating the world of Lost Soul Aside was like painting with imagination on a sci-fi fantasy canvas. You'll traverse landscapes that feel alive: sunlit plains, mysterious ancient ruins, and alternate dimensions that buzz with energy. This world isn't just eye candy—it's filled with secrets, monsters, and unpredictable events that keep you interested. But let's talk about what really defines the experience—combat.

Days Gone Remastered rides onto PlayStation 5 and PC April 25, 2025! A game nearest and dearest to our hearts, with our good partners at Climax Studios, we strived to make this the definitive way to play Days Gone for new and returning players. Step into the dirt flecked shoes of former outlaw biker Deacon St. John and feel his desperate struggle for survival in a brutal open world ravaged by feral creatures known as Freakers. We at Bend Studio are very excited to share our first look at Days Gone Remastered with our announcement trailer, giving you a sneak peek of brand-new content to play!

Built for the PS5
Days Gone Remastered is brought to new life by the PlayStation 5 console featuring improved graphical fidelity, increased foliage draw distance, improved shadow and lighting quality, Tempest 3D Audio, VRR support and more. Select your preferred playing experience between Quality mode for increased resolution or Performance mode for improved framerates. And with the added power of the PS5 Pro, Days Gone has truly never looked better on PlayStation!

State of Play is back tomorrow, February 12! Tune in live for news and updates on great games coming to PS5. The show celebrates a creative and unique selection of exciting games from studios around the world. The 40+ minute show begins February 12 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET | 11pm CET / February 13 at 7am JST on YouTube and Twitch, and will be broadcast in English and Japanese. See you tomorrow!

Regarding co-streaming and video-on-demand (VOD)
Please note that this broadcast may include copyrighted content (e.g. licensed music) that PlayStation does not control. We welcome and celebrate our amazing co-streamers and creators, but licensing agreements outside our control could interfere with co-streams or VOD archives of this broadcast. If you're planning to save this broadcast as a VOD to create recap videos, or to repost clips or segments from the show, we advise omitting any copyrighted music.

Let's be honest, Helldivers: Super Earth is worth it. No matter what "it" is. All Helldivers share this belief, and fanatical loyalty is expected from all citizens of Super Earth. But the Helldivers need to demonstrate their allegiance. They need to look like the democratic disciples they are inside, and the only way we know to properly show it off is with the gear from our next Warbond: Servants of Freedom which launches on February 6.

So what does true devotion to Democracy look like?
Hellbombs. It looks like Hellbombs. They really send a message: liberation is big, loud, and happening all around you. It gets the spirit of democracy soaring, and gets a lot of other things soaring, too, like buildings, Bile Titans, and Automaton industrial sites. Now, imagine you've got that kind of freedom strapped to your back. That's the B-100 Portable Hellbomb, a beacon of democratic truth in a convenient backpack format, which can be easily activated by you or a helpful teammate. Just be sure to drop the pack and clear the area once it's active, because the B-100's got a ten-second countdown that can't be canceled.

A former chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment USA—Shawn Layden—has shared his views regarding current and future PlayStation product landscapes. In an interview conducted by podcaster Reece Reilly (of KIWI TALKZ), the American businessman was asked about Microsoft's recent-ish release of all-digital Xbox home consoles. Layden believes that Sony will not copy its main rival's homework—the heavily rumored "PlayStation 6" could launch in two forms: with an optical drive, or without. The ex-SIE boss commented about a potential disc-less future platform: "I don't think Sony can get away with it now...I think Xbox has had more success in pursuing that strategy, but Xbox is really most successful in their business in a clutch of countries: the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. Coincidentally enough—all English-speaking countries."

The current day PlayStation 5 family—consisting of standard, slim, and Pro models—is this generation's market leader; having established a huge international userbase (roughly 65 million units, back in September 2024). Layden cites these numbers as a guideline for the makeup of a new-gen model: "Sony, which is the number one platform in probably 170 countries around the world, has an obligation or a responsibility to say: 'If we go discless, how much of my market is not able to make that jump?' Can users in rural Italy get a decent connection to enjoy games?" He thinks that his former colleagues are making very careful considerations, given the complicated nature of catering to a diverse audience: "which part of your market will be damaged by going to disc-less market? I'm sure they're doing their research on it. And there will be a tipping point, where there's some percentage where you can say, 'Okay that's fine, we can turn our back on that part of the market.' But Sony's market is globally so huge, I think it would be hard for them to go fully disc-less, even with the next generation."

Hey everyone, we're just one day away from bringing the latest epic chapter in the Marvel's Spider-Man franchise to PC, where you'll battle as Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, against a rogue's gallery of iconic Marvel Super Villains, including the monstrous Venom and the ruthless Kraven the Hunter. With the game launching soon, I'm excited to share more about the awesome new PC-enhanced features the team at Nixxes has been working on.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2, created by Insomniac in collaboration with Marvel, is a technological and graphical showcase utilizing tools like ray tracing to bring the city of Marvel's New York to life. On PC, you'll encounter a variety of new ray tracing options with individual quality settings to finetune performance and fidelity across a broad range of hardware configurations. Ray traced reflections quickly catch your eye in the skyscraper-filled city of Marvel's New York as you swing along its many glass surfaces. Meanwhile, we're offering ray traced interiors, shadows, and ambient occlusion options that add an additional layer of believability with realistic shadows and increased depth to the game.

Sony Group Corporation and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), the company behind PlayStation, today announced the appointment of Hideaki Nishino to the role of President and CEO effective April 1, 2025. This marks an evolution designed to maximize synergies across SIE that was announced in May 2024 in which Nishino was appointed CEO of the Platform Business Group effective June 1, 2024, alongside Hermen Hulst, who was appointed CEO of the Studio Business Group. Hulst will continue to serve as CEO, Studio Business Group, SIE, reporting to Nishino.

Sony Group Corporation and SIE also announced that effective April 1, Hiroki Totoki, President, COO and CFO of Sony Group Corporation, will step down from the SIE Chairman position to become President and CEO of Sony Group Corporation, and that Lin Tao, currently serving as SVP, Finance, Corporate Strategy and Development for SIE, will step down from her position at SIE to become CFO of Sony Group Corporation. Her successor at SIE will be announced at a later time.

Before we get into offering our perspectives about Ted Price's long-planned and extremely well-deserved retirement, we want to sincerely thank everyone who has checked in with Insomniac about the state of our employees and Burbank studio during the terrible Los Angeles-area fires. The fires have devastated the communities around us. We continue to focus on supporting each other and communicating daily with Sony Interactive Entertainment to provide the latest information and resources to everyone affected.

Sharing the news that Ted is retiring from Insomniac Games is still just as emotional to type as it has been to think about. The three of us—Chad, Jen and Ryan—have worked closely with Ted for many years. He's not just our leader, he's our longtime friend. And a great one at that. Ted will be missed for so many reasons. One of the great things about Ted is his ability to inspire everyone around him to grow. Ted has also set the ultimate example of how to not just say the right thing, but to do it too. Both with our games and how we behave as leaders and as a studio.

An industry mole—familiar with internal NCSOFT activities—believes that three game development projects have been cancelled: Pantera, H, and J. Past speculation has pointed to "Project H" being an announced Horizon MMO title—based on evidence that emerged shortly after the announced formation of a "strategic global business partnership" between Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and NCSOFT (back in 2023). Reportedly, Jim Ryan—the now former CEO and chairman of SIE—spearheaded PlayStation's concerted push into multi-faceted "live service" development cycles. Industry oracle, Jason Schreier, questioned the prioritization of "games as a service"—his late 2023 predictions seem very prescient, when looking at the present day landscape.

Last week, reports suggested two unannounced Sony-owned live-service games being placed on the proverbial chopping board. Bluepoint's much rumored "God of War" project was quietly canned according to Schreier's Bloomberg column, as well as a mysterious Bend Studios-produced title. NCSOFT's Project H—also known as "Skyline"—appears to be the victim of an internal "feasibility review." Target platforms were reported to be PC and mobile—therefore placing Project H/Skyline in a separate tranche; distinct from another online-oriented Horizon game. Franchise originator—Guerrilla Games—is reportedly still toiling away (with Bungie's guidance) on an upcoming multiplayer-focused release for PlayStation 5 home consoles.

Noted technology tipster, Kepler L2, believes that the Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) engineering team has finalized the design of a PlayStation 6 (PS6) system-on-chip (SoC)—insider information was shared on the NeoGAF forum (a popular computer game discussion board) late last week. It would be natural to assume that Sony's gaming division is deep into the process of developing a follow-up to its PlayStation 5 home console, but Kepler L2's fresh revelation points to surprisingly advanced progress. Insider sources point to the PS6's chip design being: "complete and in pre-silicon validation already, with A0 tapeout scheduled for late this year."

Industry experts have analyzed PlayStation development cycles of days past—history has demonstrated a pattern of the A0 tapeout phase reaching completion around two years before the rollout of finalized products at retail. Kepler L2 reckons that this pattern will be repeated—indicating a possible launch of PlayStation by 2027. The rumored PS6 chipset has been linked to AMD's "gfx13" target—everyone's favorite Team Red tipster posits that Sony engineers are working with a "fork" of this next-gen "UDNA" graphics technology. The rumor mill has generated additional PS6 SoC-related internet chatter—last Friday, Chiphell alleged a possible adoption of Team Red's X3 V-cache technology.

Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment expands the PlayStation 5 (PS5) family of products with the release of the new PlayStation 5 Pro (PS5 Pro) console - the company's most advanced and innovative gaming console to date. PlayStation 5 Pro was designed with deeply engaged players and game creators in mind and includes key performance features that allow games to run with higher fidelity graphics at smoother frame rates.

"With PlayStation 5 Pro, we wanted to make sure that the most dedicated gamers, as well as game creators, could utilize the most advanced console technology, taking the PlayStation 5 experience even farther," said Hideaki Nishino, CEO Platform Business Group, Sony Interactive Entertainment. "This is our most advanced PlayStation to date, and it gives our community of players the opportunity to experience games the way that developers intended for them to be. Players will be thrilled with how this console enhances some of their favorite titles, while opening avenues to discover new ones."

As we continue our celebrations leading up to the 30th anniversary of the first PlayStation console launch, we have a special treat to reveal today that brings the past together with the present. Introducing our PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection to celebrate this wonderful milestone.

The new limited edition designs pay homage to 30 wonderful years of gaming, a journey made possible by the passion and support of our fans and talented game developers. Reminiscent of the very first PlayStation console to launch on December 3, 1994, this limited edition offering utilizes the original PlayStation color design and integrates it into the latest line of PS5 hardware products.

Corcord, Firewalk Studios' hero shooter, released on August 23 for PS5 and Windows, was pulled from sale on Tuesday and will be taken offline later this week, all thanks to its disastrous launch. Sony announced on its Playstation blog Players who purchased Concord would be refunded as it "explores options" for the game, and "determines the best path ahead."

Game director at Firewalk Studios, Ryan Ellis, announced Concord's fate in a message to players, saying, "Aspects of the game and our initial launch didn't land the way we intended." He continues, "Concord fans—we've been listening closely to your feedback since the launch of Concord on PlayStation 5 and PC and want to thank everyone who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar." Ellis added,"Your support and the passionate community that has grown around the game has meant the world to us."

Fanatec is pleased to announce that it is continuing as an Official Licensee of Formula 1 and Official Provider of Formula 1 Sim Racing with a new multi-year agreement. Since 2018, both parties have continued to push the boundaries of real-world motorsport and sim racing, giving fans across the world the chance to experience the rush and thrill of the world's greatest sports and entertainment spectacle in their own home, and in the Fan Zones and Paddock Club of Formula 1 races across the globe. As part of the new deal, Fanatec will also continue as the Official Provider of Formula 1 Sim Racing, supplying teams and drivers with a full racing set up including a steering wheel, pedals, direct drive wheel base, and cockpit. Round three of the 2024 F1 Sim Racing Championship will take place on May 7.

The ClubSport Racing Wheel F1 is the latest officially licensed F1 hardware package from Fanatec, combining a new F1 Steering Wheel with unique blue forged carbon finish together with the acclaimed 15Nm ClubSport DD+ Wheel Base. Officially licensed by PlayStation for PS5 and PS4 consoles, this product was developed under the official licensing and approval of Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Jim Ryan—President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment—revealed a sobering restructuring plan earlier today: "The PlayStation community means everything to us, so I felt it was important to update you on a difficult day at our company. We have made the extremely hard decision to announce our plan to commence a reduction of our overall headcount globally by about 8% or about 900 people, subject to local law and consultation processes. Employees across the globe, including our studios, are impacted." Ryan's full email—addressed to the entire Sony Interactive Entertainment workforce—can be found here. It reveals that company leadership has decided to close its PlayStation London Studio—the South East UK team is/was reportedly working on an announced "PS5 online game." Microsoft revealed a larger scale layoff program late last month—affecting 1900 employees—albeit without shuttering any major development studios. A number of its California-based teams are in the process of ditching "traditional" office locations (including a former aircraft hangar), and are moving to a work from home (WFH) model.

The SIE chief believes that current circumstances are not sustainable: "These are incredibly talented people who have been part of our success, and we are very grateful for their contributions. However, the industry has changed immensely, and we need to future ready ourselves to set the business up for what lies ahead. We need to deliver on expectations from developers and gamers and continue to propel future technology in gaming, so we took a step back to ensure we are set up to continue bringing the best gaming experiences to the community." His email outlines an "impact for employees across all SIE regions—Americas, EMEA, Japan, and APAC," with reductions affecting native development teams and Firesprite, a Liverpool, UK-based studio (founded by former Psygnosis veterans). Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios, also posted a blog entry on the subject of SIE global layoffs—he confirmed a number of reductions and project cancellations.

Launching today, our latest wireless headset, Pulse Elite, brings crisp, immersive audio to the gaming experience on the PS5 console; to PlayStation Link supported devices including PS5, PC, Mac, and PlayStation Portal remote player; and to Bluetooth compatible devices such as smartphones and tablets. Pulse Elite follows the launch of our first wireless earbuds, Pulse Explore, with both audio devices featuring planar magnetic drivers to further enhance the PS5 console's Tempest 3D AudioTech. When combined with PlayStation Link, the planar drivers precisely deliver the output of the 3D audio algorithms directly to the player's ear without loss, and nearly no distortion or delay. Here's our quick-start guide on setting up and using the Pulse Elite wireless headset, along with Pulse Explore wireless earbuds.

Set up and use sidetone and 3D audio features on PS5
A tour of the headset appears when you first connect the Pulse Elite wireless headset or Pulse Explore wireless earbuds to your PS5 console via the included PlayStation Link USB adapter. Before diving into a game, I recommend personalizing 3D audio settings and adjusting sidetone volume (changing this adjusts how loudly you hear your own voice in your ear when you talk). It's also possible to create a custom name for the headset, with standard letters, symbols, and even emoji. After the tour, you can change settings at any time while the headset is connected by navigating to the Settings menu and selecting Accessories, followed by Pulse Elite wireless headset.

Hiroki Totoki—Chief Operating Officer (COO) and president of Sony Group Corporation—expressed slight disappointment in PlayStation 5's Q3Y23 sales performance. The console's lifetime total (since November 2020) hit an impressive 50 million units sold milestone last December, but Sony's top brass had set an aggressive target of 25 million PS5 units sold through the fiscal year of 2023. A recent company earnings call highlighted a revised sales goal of 21 million units, and the PlayStation top executive's uneasy outlook for the fourth quarter and beyond. Genki Japan parsed this information into an easy to digest Tweet: "Sony COO Totoki said that it is harder to grow profits on the PS5 as the life cycle goes on in comparison to previous generations. With previous gens as time went on it became cheaper to produce them. But with PS5 the parts are becoming more expensive as the life cycle goes on."

Well known hardware tipster—Kepler_L2—followed up on Genki's brief report with an insight into semiconductor conditions (current day and in times ahead): "Cost per transistor has remained flat through FinFETs and will go up with GAAFETs/CFETs. The days of free cost savings with die shrinks is over and things will only get worse. Future consoles will either have increasingly smaller performance gains or significantly higher prices." Kepler_L2 has a pretty good track record of covering unreleased AMD CPU and GPU technologies, particularly in the field of Sony and Microsoft gaming hardware—they were last seen weighing in on the matter of speculated PlayStation 5 Pro specifications. Industry observers believe that the proper next-generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles will launch with insides occupied by Team Red-designed tech, despite early 2024 rumblings of NVIDIA and Intel pitching in with shopped proposals.

The PC version of Helldivers 2 has shot up the Steam charts since yesterday's launch (also available on PlayStation 5)—according to tracking sites, peak player population sits at 151,927. Games industry watchdogs believe that this is Sony PlayStation's most successful launch title on PC platforms—24-hour peak telemetry has Helldivers 2 attracting 81,840 players versus God of War's 68,000 (January 14, 2022). An abundance of technical issues has prompted the submission of negative feedback—around 12,200 reviews have been left on the game's Steam Profile. Its current status is "Mostly Positive," but launch evening impressions were "Mixed" following 5300 review submissions. Eurogamer has summarized the problematic period: "Chief among criticisms are complaints about persistent crashes, while others have singled out server and matchmaking issues. Then there's ire directed towards PC optimization, and its kernel-level GameGuard anti-cheat software, which some feel is cause for concern, as well as complaints around Helldivers 2's monetization—which includes a battle pass and premium currency in-game shop, despite its £34.99/$39.99 price tag."

The development team at Arrowhead Game Studios implemented day-of-launch matchmaking fixes and addressed the most common crash problems. Helldivers 2 Game Director, Mikael Eriksson, stated that a patch was in the making: "If it's a success, we'll trigger a hotfix and get it out to the Steam community first, then roll it out to PS5 players as quickly as we can. Thank you—seriously—for your patience. We really want you all to have a blast playing this game. Bear with us, we're almost there." Arrowhead have followed up on their promise(s) today with another set of fixes pushed out to PC gamer population—Eriksson shared some good second day news: "We've uploaded a patch to Steam that should improve matchmaking for PC. The patch also includes some other crash fixes we've identified. We know there's more to solve, and we're working our way through it. Nevertheless, we hope this rapid patch goes a long way to making your experience better. Now go smash some bugs (and bots)!"

The Helldivers universe is one of noble soldiers, heroic deeds, and heartfelt, unflinching patriotism in the face of giant acid-spewing bug monsters. Stephen Flowers, Game Writer, Arrowhead Game Studios: "I personally love writing for a game with opportunities for comedy, and that doesn't take itself too seriously. I hope I can find a game like that soon…" If you want to catch up with the story of Super Earth and her valiant defenders before Helldivers 2 launches tomorrow (on February 8), read on. Plus, we share the first news that the story will continue in post-launch Helldivers 2 updates.

Since Helldivers 1…
Helldivers 2 takes place a century after the events of the first game, with Super Earth having emerged victorious against its adversaries - the deadly, bug-like Terminids, the grotesque Cyborgs and the inscrutable Illuminates. With its foes vanquished and the Galactic War won, an era of peace and prosperity ensued. The Helldivers, Super Earth's elite task force, were dismissed. The same faster-than-light travel technology, heroically liberated from the Illuminates, that gave Super Earth access to the galaxy, has since been used to colonize it. This period has come to be known as The Great Democratization. FTL technology is reliant on a steady supply of the precious substance E-710 which, luckily, can be found in decomposing Terminid bodies. So naturally, Super Earth has been farming Terminids on an industrial scale.