One of the strengths of Helldivers 2 is the communal sense of purpose. Every time a squad successfully completes a mission on a planet, the liberation percentage increases. Although progress toward this communal goal is tracked in real time, you can only see it in-game. The Super Earth Broadcast, a TikTok account with 300,000 followers, has been providing a bridge to the outside world since Feb. 15, keeping players up to date with Galactic War news even when they’re off duty.
“Mort has just come under attack by the Automatons, all available Helldivers are being requested to defend the planet,” says the latest Emergency Alert. There’s a total of 35 videos at the time of publication, combining news about the game’s server issues, combat tips, notable armor sets in the Superstore, and in-lore announcements tackling liberations.
Finnegan, the sole person behind the account, decided to make a simple TikTok after being unable to find a quick way to get updates about Helldivers 2. This quick attempt went viral overnight, with 937,000 views to date.
“I don’t really prepare a script,” he told Polygon over Discord. “I look at the galactic map and see what the current situation is, and what I assume will happen next, based on previous campaigns. All of the clips I use are my own.”
Finnegan generally dedicates a few hours daily to the account and already has over 200 hours of playtime. He’s currently not working a day job, instead taking care of his grandfather full-time. The Super Earth Broadcast routine usually involves hopping into the game, checking the map, getting clips, and leaving to work on the next update.
Some folks message Finnegan in case he misses something or is unable to log in, although he said he was able to get into the servers pretty easily even during the server capacity peaks. Once he’s got all the info he needs, he uses generative AI to make his voice clips. “All the voices are generated randomly, I just picked the ones I liked. I don’t currently have plans to have anyone else help out,” he said.
As the popularity of Helldivers 2 continues to grow, so does the concept of the Super Earth Broadcast. When I chatted with Finnegan on Friday night, he said he was not expecting to attract over 200,000 followers in just a week. There have been another 100,000 over last weekend alone.
Finnegan expressed uncertainty about next steps after being thrust into this sudden spotlight. During the past few days, he made a website to share in-lore news in written format with the help of volunteer writers from his Discord server, which currently has over 2,500 users.
He’s also been streaming on TikTok, but he’s been thinking of moving to Twitch instead, as the platform’s inner workings remain a mystery. “The algorithm changes constantly,” Finnegan said. “You never really know what changes when it does. Sometimes it works to your advantage and sometimes it doesn’t. Like for instance, in the past couple of days my views tanked. But now I’m back to where I used to be.”
Much like developer Arrowhead’s behemoth, the Super Earth Broadcast continues to garner new fans. While it’s unclear what awaits in the future, Finnegan is committed to continuing to deliver news, regardless of how long the phenomenon around Helldivers 2 lasts.
“I’m not worried about the popularity of the game or my channel,” he said. “The community from the first game was very committed and dedicated to it. The same can be said for the new community. Regardless, there will always be helldivers hanging around and needing updates.”
