Video Games have a long history with guns. Combat has been the prevailing mechanic in most titles, and though there’s many different methods of implementing it, guns tend to be the preferred weapons to focus on. Games like Call of Duty and Battlefield base many of their in-game firearms directly on their real world counterparts partially to instill a sense of groundedness, but also to sell a fantasy. And sometimes, this can extend to uncomfortable lengths. Firearms manufacturers aren’t usually keen to freely dispense licenses for their copyrighted gun designs, so game developers will often make their representations of guns legally distinguishable and vague, but in this case it’s kind of the other way around. Heckler & Koch (H&K) are one of the world’s most renowned in the firearms business, and earlier today, they made a post on X alluding to Valve’s Half-Life series.
The caption of the post is a reference to a chapter in Half-Life where the antagonistic military force hunting down main character Gordon Freeman get overwhelmed by the invading aliens of the game and are forced to abandon their pursuit of him. The image shows two figures in hazmat tactical gear somewhat similar to the baddies in the game brandishing kitted out guns reminiscent of the submachine gun you use in Half-Life, which is modeled after H&K’s MP5. Half-Life 2 also features two guns clearly derived from H&K; the MP7 submachine gun and the USP pistol. Presumably, that’s why they made the post–as an ode to a game series that prominently features models based on their products. It’s assuredly not the first time the gun business and the video game industry have collided, but it’s definitely a bizarre marketing tactic. Perhaps it’s related to the Half-Life 3 craze that sprung up again last fall around The Game Awards 2025. The comments below the post are indeed filled to the brim with memes surrounding the possible upcoming release of a third entry to the series.
German-borne H&K have secured many lucrative contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, law enforcement, and European armed forces over their seventy year history, although they sell to civilians as well. Valve did not license any firearms in the Half-Life series, however they pair the real names and likenesses of the guns in Counter-Strike 2–like the Glock 18, P90, and Famas for example–seemingly without any legal issues.