By Ascend right descend descend descend
The fallout from Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting at a Utah gathering this week is rippling through the gaming sector.
Only days ago we detailed how a playful tweet by a Sucker Punch staffer appears to have triggered instant termination.
Now it has surfaced that shell casings collected close to the homicide site bore an apparent nod to Helldivers 2.
Per law-enforcement release, one casing was etched with the phrase “Hey, fascists! Catch!” and the sequence Up Right Down Down Down.
Legacy outlets speculated the string could be a classic cheat, yet PlayStation devotees recognise it as the precise directional combo that triggers the Eagle 500 kg Bomb stratagem in Helldivers 2.
Arrowhead’s follow-up demands such keystrokes to unleash powerful support strikes. That signature mechanic migrated intact from the first Helldivers installment to its successor.
Following the revelation, moderators have shuttered the Helldivers subreddit for the moment while they strategise over the flood of new discussion.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the suspect deliberately cited Helldivers 2 or if the match is sheer happenstance, though the latter would astonish us.
[source bbc.com, via reddit.com, kotaku.com]
PlayStation Buttons based on work by VictorPines, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
As Push Square’s Editor, Sammy brings more than 15 years of scrutiny to the PlayStation ecosystem, spanning PS3 to PS5 and beyond. He specialises in PS Studios developments and industry trends, plus sports titles and sims. RPGs fill his rare free hours, and he has a well-documented gacha habit.