Offworld Industries has just announced its upcoming 12-player co-op FPS Starship Troopers: Extermination inspired by the cult classic Starship Troopers film from 1997. For the first time since 2005, players will have the chance to take on the arachnids in an FPS game, this time with squad-based co-op, multiple classes, and a class progression system.
Starship Troopers has been a sci-fi staple since Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 famous novel, which used the conflict between humanity and its arachnid or "bug" adversaries as a commentary on subjects like propaganda, fascism, and militarism. The 1997 Starship Troopers film took this a step further with its iconic tongue-in-cheek war propaganda footage, depicting a society wholly dedicated to annihilating the arachnids. Over the years, a variety of Starship Troopers games have brought players into the bug war through several RTS games, first-person shooters, and even a pinball adaptation. For developers and fans, the massive conflict between swarms of insectoid killing machines and hordes of disposable troopers has always been considered an interesting setting for games.
Offworld Industries, the developer behind multiplayer tactical shooter Squad, has just unveiled its latest shooter, Starship Troopers: Extermination. Leveraging its experience with squad-based multiplayer games, Offword's foray into the Starship Troopers universe will be focused on 12-player squads of human soldiers working together to fend off hundreds of bugs at a time before ultimately extracting from the area. The game will initially feature 3 playable classes: assault, support, and defense, each with its own playstyle and perks to round out the team. A class progression system will allow players to unlock a growing arsenal of new weapons, equipment, and perks.
The new Starship Troopers game will task players with completing various objectives, gathering resources, constructing defenses, and capturing territory throughout the map. Walls, towers, ammo stations, and other objects can be constructed with resources acquired from refineries on the map, adding a light strategy layer to the chaos. At Early Access launch, five bug types will be available including the drone, warrior, gunner, plasma grenadier, and tiger elite which should each present unique challenges to the squad. Over the course of a mission the infestation level will grow, resulting in increasingly intense action as time goes on.
Along with the recent Starship Troopers: Terran Command RTS which has just launched a free DLC, it's a great time for fans of the classic sci-fi franchise itching to join the bug hunt. Offworld Industries is a veteran when it comes to squad-based multiplayer games, so it'll be interesting to see how the studio handles the large-scale scenarios that Starship Troopers: Extermination will bring.
Starship Troopers: Extermination is currently in development and will enter Early Access in 2023 on PC.
Source: Steam