The pygmy hippo taking social media by storm has been acknowledged with a protection order in Helldivers 2, while the price for a similar-looking minion in Final Fantasy 14 has increased by 1,600%.
After heavy fan backlash saying the game is ‘less fun with every patch’, Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Studios is currently working through a 60-day roadmap to return the live service shooter back to its glory days.
In its latest patch, the developer has jumped on the biggest internet trend of the past month for some comic relief, issuing a Protection Order for the famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng.
While the hippo hasn’t actually been added into Helldivers 2, she is a purchasable minion in Final Fantasy, where her price has soared by 1,600%.
If you don’t know, Moo Deng, which means ‘bouncy pork’, is a baby pygmy hippo who lives in a Thai zoo, who went viral on social media for… being cute.
She also has an unpredictable temperament and there are thousands of memes making jokes about her either being very cute and timid or absolutely raging against her zookeepers.
In its latest patch notes, along with a handful of minor fixes to Helldivers 2, Arrowhead has added a ‘Moo Deng Accord’:
‘General Brasch-issued Protection Order for pygmy hippos implemented,’ it says.
There’s no more information about the accord, but it sounds like General Brasch has been so captivated by Moo Deng’s cuteness that he is advocating for the preservation of all pygmy hippos.
According to the Zoological Society of London, the pygmy hippo is an endangered species, estimating that there are fewer than 2,500 left in the world.
It’s not just Helldivers 2 that has caught the Moo Deng fever, as Final Fantasy 14 fans are going crazy for the Hippo Calf minion in the online multiplayer game, which already existed pre-Moo Deng.
Before the Moo Deng craze, the minion cost about 17,000 in in-game currency, but one fan has posted screenshots showing how the little hippo is now selling for up to 300,000 – a 1,600% increase.
The official Final Fantasy 14 Twitter account also got in on the fun, by posting a video of the Hippo Calf minion being splashed with water – referencing how Moo Deng is sprayed with a water hose in many videos.
Even the Xbox UK account chimed in, replying to the post saying, ‘New life goal: Find Moo Deng in every universe.’
Although Moo Deng doesn’t seem to be in Starfield: Shattered Space, she’s bound to turn up as an Easter egg in other games in the future.
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