Exterminauts Devs Embrace Helldivers 2 Comparisons — But Say Their Game Is About Work, Not War
A new co-op shooter from the studio behind Dead by Daylight is heading to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in 2027, and its creative director is perfectly fine with people calling it Helldivers-like.
Exterminauts, a third-person co-op PvE shooter — a game where players team up against computer-controlled enemies rather than each other — was revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live on 25 August 2026. Publisher Level Infinite and developer Behaviour Interactive announced the title during the annual showcase in Cologne, Germany. Early gameplay footage drew immediate comparisons to Helldivers 2, the blockbuster co-op shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios, with shared elements including powerful weapons, alien creatures, and ragdoll physics when an enemy hits a player at speed (GamingBolt).
Speaking to GameSpot at Gamescom, Exterminauts creative director Vincent Regimbart acknowledged the similarities without hesitation. He described both games as cooperative PvE shooters with big weapons and creatures to battle. But he was quick to draw a line on tone and theme. "It's not war," Regimbart said of Exterminauts. "It's work." The game frames its action as a workplace that fights back, designed to avoid feeling ominous or dire to the player (GameSpot).
Where Regimbart sees the clearest separation is in depth. Exterminauts will offer a deeper progression system than Helldivers 2, he said, including weapon modifications, passive abilities, and a wide range of upgrade paths for players to build their characters around. The game is designed for three-player co-op play, a slightly tighter squad size than Helldivers 2's four-player cap.
Behaviour Interactive is best known for Dead by Daylight, the asymmetric multiplayer horror game that has maintained a large player base for years through regular content updates and licensed crossover characters — a live-service model, where a game is sold and then continually updated in seasons after launch. Level Infinite is the publishing label of Tencent's international games division.
For co-op shooter fans, the pitch is straightforward: a game that wears its inspirations openly while betting that a lighter tone and a more involved progression system will set it apart. Whether that bet pays off will be answered in 2027, when Exterminauts launches across all three major platforms.
