You'll soon be able to spread democracy with a limited edition Helldivers 2 DualSense controller in hand

Plus, return of the Illuminate faction sees player boost.

Helldivers 2 has revealed a limited edition controller themed around PlayStation's chaotic space shooter.

The wireless controller, which was rumoured prior to its official unveiling, boasts the iconic black and yellow armour colour scheme seen in Helldivers 2. It will cost £74.99 / $84.99 / €84.99 depending on your location, and can be pre-ordered via PlayStation Direct and other retailers starting on 20th December.

The controller itself will then launch next year, on 6th February, roughly 12 months since the game made its bombastic debut. You can see how the controller looks via the video below.

But wait! That's not all. As well as new hardware, the Helldivers 2 team at Arrowhead has also released a surprise update known as Omens of Tyranny. This update sees the return of The Illuminate, a faction present in the first Helldivers.

"Missing for almost a century, the Illuminate will challenge our recruits more than the other factions they have faced," Arrowhead teased in a blog post. "They are advanced, highly-intelligent beings wielding powerful technology that appears to average citizens like a kind of dark magic."

This update also adds new mission areas inside Super Earth's many colonies, with close quarter city settings to fire through. Thankfully though, the Fast Recon Vehicle - or "FRV" - will now appear in the colonies, so you and your squad can mow down those pesky Illuminates like you are on the run in GTA.

The arrival of this update saw a boost in Helldivers 2 players (on PC, anyway), as you can see in the image below.

The game's 24 hour concurrent Steam player peak is currently sitting at 133,324, with 81,375 still there at the time of writing. Will you be heading back into the fray this weekend?

Image credit: SteamDB/Eurogamer

Elsewhere last night (or early this morning, depending on where you are reading from), we got a look at Naughty Dog's next new franchise and the Ciri-fronted Witcher 4, to name but two. Meanwhile, Asobi's delightful platformer Astro Bot won the coveted Game of the Year prize at The Game Awards.