Helldivers reveals Star Fox-style game concept, as it invites ideas for next project

Helldivers studio Arrowhead has shared a number of former pitches, including a Star Fox-style game based within the Helldivers universe.

In a New Year’s post on X, Arrowhead CCO and Helldivers 2 creative director, Johan Pilestedt, asked players to share their “expectations and desires for what the next Arrowhead game will be”, hinting that he was “working on the high concept” to the studio’s next release.

Responding to comments from the community, Pilestedt then opened up about a number of “high concept” pitches previously considered, including the Star Fox-esque game tentatively called “Eagles of Democracy”.

“We made a prototype in unreal,” Pilestedt added. “It would basically try to capture Starfox. So arcade… but still simulated.

“The title was ‘Eagles of Democracy’.”

Pilestedt also shared that the team had previously worked on a concept for a top-down reimagining of the 1990 arcade game, Smash TV, too:

“Smash TV is a top-down reimagining of the classic arcade game of 1990,” the pitch began which was reportedly written around 12 years ago. “The game pits up to four contestants in a violent game show set in the distant future of 1999. The game focuses on the source inspiration for Smash TV to create a game filled with brutal action, death traps, and gladiator-inspired game shows.

“The game plays homage to 80s action movies such as The Running Man, Total Recall, RoboCop, and Escape from New York, tying everything together with cheesy music, ‘cool’ visual effects and over-the-top storytelling.”

Arrowhead recently responded to criticism from players of the high cost of its Killzone 2 crossover, eventually deciding to gift all players the planned second set of the collaboration items for free.