A cryptic tweet from Arrowhead Studios, the developers of Helldivers 2, has sparked a wave of speculation among fans and players.
Sent at 7:31 a.m. EST early this Wednesday, the tweet was a binary pattern of 1s and 0s, which, when decoded, revealed the enigmatic question: 'Where is Karl?'
The tweet is shown below:
Shortly after this post, the tweet was quite abruptly deleted; The Twitter account was quick to release a follow-up in the character of their own Ministry Of Truth', dispelling any rumors of the former tweet as an 'illegal automaton broadcast' and instead putting it down to a 'minor fault.'
Amidst this quite inexplicable sequence of cryptic tweets, thousands of online followers have begun theorizing exactly what they meant.
Some have devised that it has something to do with Karl Marx, the German-born philosopher and revolutionary socialist, due to the automaton's synonymy with the ideology of socialism (as propagated by Super Earth's Ministry Of Truth).
Others have linked the tweet to be a joking nod to the CEO of Arrowhead Studios (which has since been debunked).
Still, the almost unanimous theory is that it is related to the video game, 'Deep Rock Galactic.'
Released in 2020 by Coffee Stain Studios, the developers of DRG have claimed in the past to have reached out to Arrowhead Studios regarding a collaboration.
It is also worth noting that both developers have commended each other's games in their separate studio streams.
Fans of the developers have also pointed out that the name 'Karl' is referenced heavily in Deep Rock Galactic, and although unseen, he is theorized to be a mystical and legendary figure of the dwarf race, and (although again, just theory) the dwarf that all playable dwarfs descend from.
My say on the matter is this: Though not entirely out of the realm of possibility, this is more than likely a subtle nod to a fellow indie developer, being a game that is respected and loved among the studio and fans alike.
However, with the knowledge that the DRG developers have reached out to Arrowhead before, it is understandable for any fan to get excited about the prospect of collaborating between two games with such lively and notable fanbases.
Only time will tell what comes of this potential partnership, but I'm sure that wherever he may be, Karl will be pleased with the recent attention he's gained.