A reading from the Book of Hordes:

1.
In the beginning, there was Gears of War 2. And Horde Mode was implemented into Gears of War 2, which introduced the co-op horde shooter to the world. And Valve saw that it was good.

And Valve, in their wisdom, created Left 4 Dead, so that players might experience the full potential of the genre. And it was the first great co-op horde shooter. And Valve saw that it was good.

And many followed suit. Foremost amongst them was Call of Duty, which begat CoD Zombies. This was the second great co-op horde shooter. And Valve saw that it was good.

But these days were not to last, for the co-op horde shooter fell out of favor in the eyes of the players. And for a time, there were no great co-op horde shooters. Yet Valve still made money, and so Valve saw that it was good.

2.
Then the original Helldivers was released, and thereafter followed a resurgence in the popularity of the co-op horde shooter. But Helldivers 1 was the tip of the spear, the first into the breach, so it was not considered a great co-op horde shooter. Yet the genre was growing again, and so Valve saw that it was good.

And hot on its heels came Vermintide. And Vermintide brought new mechanics for melee combat against hordes, and became the third great co-op horde shooter. And Valve saw that it was good.

And soon, the once and future king arose. Deep Rock Galactic, with its unparalleled community atmosphere of positivity and teamwork, ushered in a golden age for the genre. It was the fourth great co-op horde shooter. And Valve saw that it was good.

3.
Finally, after many years, Helldivers 2 was released. And the playerbase rejoiced, for Helldivers 2 was the culmination of all that they had strived and hoped for. And it was the fifth great co-op horde shooter. And Valve saw that it was good.

Then Sony, in their greed, attempted to seize the fruits of the developers' labor, and force loyal players to give away their data and security for continued access to the greatest horde shooter of all time. And Valve did not see that it was good - but hope remained, for the game was sold upon Valve's own platform. And that platform allowed REVIEWS.

And the players put to use what they had learned playing co-op horde shooters. They rallied together, and drove such a spike of negative reviews into the heart of Sony's malfeasance that Sony's efforts were destroyed in just three days. And on the fourth day, the playerbase returned, victorious, to helldiving. Liberty and democracy reigned supreme. And Valve saw that it was good.