Helldivers Reddit Locked After Accused Charlie Kirk Killer Allegedly Referenced the Game on Bullet Casings

Up right down down down

Image: Push SquareThe aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s killing at an event in Utah this week is having a profound impact on the gaming industry.

Just this week we reported how a social media gag by a Sucker Punch employee may have led to their immediate dismissal.

And now it’s emerged that bullet casings discovered near the crime scene included a purported reference to Helldivers 2.

According to a police statement, one of the bullet casings found included an engraving of the words “Hey, fascists! Catch!” followed by the code Up Right Down Down Down.

Mainstream media hypothesised that this may be referencing some kind of cheat code, but PlayStation fans will know it’s the exact same input required to launch the Eagle 500kg Bomb stratagem in Helldivers 2.

The Arrowhead developed sequel requires you to input commands like these in order to launch special attacks in the game. It’s one of the trademark features that carried across from the original Helldivers to its sequel.

As a result of the discovery, the Helldivers Reddit page has been temporarily closed while moderators discuss how to deal with the sudden influx of chatter about the topic.

It’s worth noting that it’s not known for sure whether the accused shooter intended to reference Helldivers 2 or if this is just a big coincidence, but we’d be shocked if it’s the latter.

[source bbc.com, via reddit.com, kotaku.com]

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As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.

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