Starship Troopers: Extermination's official release has a mechanic that's long been on my Helldivers 2 wishlist

Starship Troopers: Extermination is coming out of Steam Early Access, perhaps just in time for Helldivers 2 players to get a different taste of democracy-spreading action. Extermination is the co-op shooter using the official license, of course, having entered Early Access in May last year.

In celebration of the big day, developer Offworld Interactive revealed a couple of exciting additions to the game that should convince anyone on the fence to jump in.

To begin with, Starship Troopers: Extermination leaves Early Access on October 11. This is also when the game will debut on PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with full cross-play between all three platforms.

The game’s full launch will bring with it a campaign made up of 25 missions. More excitingly, your commanding officer in said campaign will be none other than Casper Van Dien, who’ll be reprising his role as Johnny Rico from the 1997 classic film.

As if all of that wasn’t exciting enough, Offworld also revealed what may be Extermination’s most interesting new mechanic. As part of the aptly named Carnage on Planet X11 update (version 0.8.0), the corpses and carcases of bugs will not disappear when they die.

In fact, the Arachnid’s remains will continue to pile up as you exterminate them, letting you use them tactically as cover, and to reach new areas of the world. This is actually a feature I wish Helldivers 2 had, as skirmishes in that game only really leave a mark on the terrain.

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Another reason Helldrivers 2 players should keep an eye on Extermination is that its massive scale. The game supports up to 16-player co-op matches, complete with a logistical and defence element that adds a bit of strategy to what would otherwise be a mindless shooter.

If the news made you curious to jump in, you can play the game right now on Steam Early Access. If you’d rather wait for the full release, you can wishlist it through the same link.