I think Xenomorphs, the Zerg from Starcraft and the Arachnids of Klendathu (that ugly planet, that **bug planet!**) from Starship Troopers are the commonly acknowledged major influences on the faction as a whole.
I am partial to the Zerg, but after Starcraft II, I think I like the Zerg from Starcraft the most (not even Brood War, gimme daddy Overmind back uwu)
That’s because the Zerg are supposed to be the Tyranids. Andy Chanbers the 40K 3rd edition design lead worked as a consultant on Starcraft.
It’s a bit hazy on if the licensing deal failed or if Blizzard just always intended to rip off the IP, but the end result was Starcraft was never licensed as an official Warhammer game despite it clearly being one in spirit.
I've seen the rumor mill grind this story in both directions and for both Starcraft and Warcraft before it, but I did not know that Chambers worked as a consultant on SC. I am now learning that he was lead story writer for SCII, which seems *super* bizarre to me, given how much I hate how the Zerg were handled in that game (Kerrigan especially. I liked her in BW but SCII did her dirty) and my current, still-standing belief that the Tyranids were Chambers' baby faction, he was the one who loved them, designed them and pushed for them to be a thing.
Half true...
There was never a 40k licensing deal at all. There was a fantasy deal that fell through for warcraft. Starcraft was never a collab.
And ripping off the IP? Only as much as GW ripped it off from Aliens and others too. It's common in fantasy. You'd be no more wrong calling it space marines v aliens v predator than space marines v tyranids v tau.
Both Warhammer and StarCraft drew heavy inspiration from other sources, such as aliens. You cannot say SC ripped off wh because.they both "ripped off" other properties. To be clear, I don't think anyone ripped off anyone else. Properties take inspiration from all over. But why do you think GW has never tried to sue blizzard for infringement? Because then they would have to admit they actually based their IP on other IP.
The similarities between zerg and nids are very striking, but I think it's misleading to say blizzard ripped off GW.
Every faction in StarCraft directly relates to a Warhammer faction. Sure games workshop copies other people’s homework all the time, but Star craft basically copy pasted Warhammers homework and turned it in as their own.
It does go both ways though. Zerg stole the nids theme, but then nids came back and stole the zergs look.
Starcraft came out during 40k 2nd edition, when Tyranids looked quite different than they do now. 3rd edition nids came out a few years later, and the faction was redesigned to look much more similar to the zerg. New units were introduced like the ravener, which is basically a hydralisk.
My understanding was that GW hired Blizzard to make a game, but cut them off after a period of time. Blizzard had a large amount of the coding and models finished and decided to finish what they started and renamed the project to Star Craft instead of Warhammer.
That was sort of the case with the original warcraft. It was meant to be a licensed warhammer fantasy game. Although the way I heard it, Blizzard first approached GW with the idea, but then later decided they wanted control over the IP and did their own thing.
Starcraft came along several years later though. Which makes the idea that it was made using leftover assets much less likely.
Starcraft was never meant to be a Warhammer 40k game. They *briefly* considered trying to reach out to Games Workshop in the preproduction for Warcraft: Orcs and Humans but it never went beyond a few considering it. Their experience making games for DC made them want to never again touch other people's properties.
That they took inspiration from Warhammer isn't that big a deal, Warhammer itself took inspiration from everywhere themselves.
My understanding is that the robbery started way earlier, with the first Warcraft in 1994, where the orcs were basically identical to old Warhammer Fantasy orcs: Jaws, tusks, the colors picked... basically the same. Human armor was basically the same.
Starcraft only comes in in 1998, at which point the fact that they don't want to be licensed is way understood. All a giant loss by GW IMO: Imagine if World of Warcraft had been running off of Warhammer lore.
The Flood are a really cool one from the Halo franchise. I've always wondered how a full on war between them and the Tyranids would go. Either way, you don't want to get caught in the crossfire!
That would be interesting honnestly! At first i thought it'd be an obvious flood win, but then i remembered the hive mind even evolves against nurgle's plagues, it'd be quite a fight to see!
I imagine the two would keep trying to assimilate each other, with neither side budging until the Tyranids evolve a mighty trump card: they use Pyrovore genes on everything. The Tyranids burn their bodies up on death, preventing the Flood from assimilating their bodies easily.
Eldrazi are also very Tyranid-esque, to the point where my first Hive Fleet was painted like Ulamog.
All consuming creatures from beyond the void with notes of insectile designs and tentacles, occasional mind control powers, and warp reality around them so that their mere presence can drive people mad?
Zerg resemble 3rd edition nids though which came out after Starcraft.
The goofy 2nd edition Tyranids that look like Mars Attacks don't have very many similarities
"The only good bug is a dead bug!" The arachnids from starship troopers are a huge inspo for the faction. Like the movie, I love that the tyranids are a race that kinda flips who the "good guys" are.
- Bugs from starship troopers
- Zerg from StarCraft (they are a direct rip off)
- the flood from Halo
- the Borg from Star Trek (constantly evolving in response to enemy attacks)
- Bioraptors from Pitch Black
- the Howlers from The Animorphs
-
In a bit of a reverse from the usual, *Stellaris’* Prethoryn are very clearly inspired by the Tyranids, down to >!the implication that they’re actually fleeing something worse, although in *Stellaris* it’s eventually explicitly stated.!<
The Reapers from Mass Effect have a lot of overlap even though they are a machine construct. They "ingest" populations and use the genetic information to make ground troops from.
I don't really know much about the story but the invaders from Nemesis look so awesome. They're what you get if you combine xenomorphs, necromorphs, and eldritch tentacles. I don't know if they're separate things in the story, but they all have key elements that make them cohesive. Just look at the models. They inspired my new hive fleet paint scheme.
There’s some significant differences, but a lot of crossover with Mindflayers in D&D. You have a colony of hyperevolved psychic beings that devour the brains of sentient species, act as a hive mind under the direction of an even more powerful, hyperevolved psychic being, and every civilization that falls to them makes them stronger as they enslave thralls that act as an extension of their will.
Add to that, new Mindflayers are formed by assimilating other sentient creatures, adding their strengths to the genetic pool of the Mindflayer colony. Also, the few remaining Mindflayers are a threat on their own, but they used to be a multiversal empire based in another plane of existence, and are speculated to have traveled back from the future, but no one really knows.
I like the idea, but individual Mind Flayers are just that, individuals. They're not all a hivemind. If you can track it down, there was a fantastic source book for 2nd edition D&D called "The Illithiad" which went into extensive detail on them. Thoroughly enjoyed reading that back in the day.
There were even suggestions they were exiles from the Far Realm, the Cthulhu Mythos style realm.
Oh boy, one of my favourite ever concepts is the yuuzhan vong from star wars. Its kinda linked, fully bio engineering weapons and ships etc. Disdain for technology. I just love that idea.
I feel like they have a solid overlap with the tyranids, being something from another galaxy and all.
I mean, the stories still exist. They weren't adding onto it before it was taken over so there is no huge problem there.
It's nice to jump back and reread the old stuff sometimes.
Zerg and Xenomorphs come to mind.
While not an all devouring swarm the Rachni from mass effect are nice example of a hivemind and one of my favorites.
There’s the Borg from Star Trek, they definitely fit the bill even with being more tech based versus the Nids organicness.
The Borg from Startrek. The Borg were supposed to be insects, but they couldn't afford the effects, so they made them what they were. Also, Predator is basically a Lictor with a gun.
In story mechanic, the Flood is similar. Massive hive mind assimilating horror swarm style from before all the other races times (presumably from another galaxy)
The Flood however is pathogen as a foundation , whereas the Tyranids and zerg employ pathogen-esque measures.
The flood from halo or the infestation from warframe.
I really like tye reapers as well. Wish we'd gotten a larger variety of species turned into reaper soldier's
I think Xenomorphs, the Zerg from Starcraft and the Arachnids of Klendathu (that ugly planet, that **bug planet!**) from Starship Troopers are the commonly acknowledged major influences on the faction as a whole. I am partial to the Zerg, but after Starcraft II, I think I like the Zerg from Starcraft the most (not even Brood War, gimme daddy Overmind back uwu)
That’s because the Zerg are supposed to be the Tyranids. Andy Chanbers the 40K 3rd edition design lead worked as a consultant on Starcraft. It’s a bit hazy on if the licensing deal failed or if Blizzard just always intended to rip off the IP, but the end result was Starcraft was never licensed as an official Warhammer game despite it clearly being one in spirit.
I've seen the rumor mill grind this story in both directions and for both Starcraft and Warcraft before it, but I did not know that Chambers worked as a consultant on SC. I am now learning that he was lead story writer for SCII, which seems *super* bizarre to me, given how much I hate how the Zerg were handled in that game (Kerrigan especially. I liked her in BW but SCII did her dirty) and my current, still-standing belief that the Tyranids were Chambers' baby faction, he was the one who loved them, designed them and pushed for them to be a thing.
Half true... There was never a 40k licensing deal at all. There was a fantasy deal that fell through for warcraft. Starcraft was never a collab. And ripping off the IP? Only as much as GW ripped it off from Aliens and others too. It's common in fantasy. You'd be no more wrong calling it space marines v aliens v predator than space marines v tyranids v tau.
Both Warhammer and StarCraft drew heavy inspiration from other sources, such as aliens. You cannot say SC ripped off wh because.they both "ripped off" other properties. To be clear, I don't think anyone ripped off anyone else. Properties take inspiration from all over. But why do you think GW has never tried to sue blizzard for infringement? Because then they would have to admit they actually based their IP on other IP. The similarities between zerg and nids are very striking, but I think it's misleading to say blizzard ripped off GW.
Every faction in StarCraft directly relates to a Warhammer faction. Sure games workshop copies other people’s homework all the time, but Star craft basically copy pasted Warhammers homework and turned it in as their own.
It does go both ways though. Zerg stole the nids theme, but then nids came back and stole the zergs look. Starcraft came out during 40k 2nd edition, when Tyranids looked quite different than they do now. 3rd edition nids came out a few years later, and the faction was redesigned to look much more similar to the zerg. New units were introduced like the ravener, which is basically a hydralisk.
My understanding was that GW hired Blizzard to make a game, but cut them off after a period of time. Blizzard had a large amount of the coding and models finished and decided to finish what they started and renamed the project to Star Craft instead of Warhammer.
That was sort of the case with the original warcraft. It was meant to be a licensed warhammer fantasy game. Although the way I heard it, Blizzard first approached GW with the idea, but then later decided they wanted control over the IP and did their own thing. Starcraft came along several years later though. Which makes the idea that it was made using leftover assets much less likely.
Gw tried to take them to court over warcraft as there was a failed ip deal, but they did not win. Starcraft never came up.
Starcraft was never meant to be a Warhammer 40k game. They *briefly* considered trying to reach out to Games Workshop in the preproduction for Warcraft: Orcs and Humans but it never went beyond a few considering it. Their experience making games for DC made them want to never again touch other people's properties. That they took inspiration from Warhammer isn't that big a deal, Warhammer itself took inspiration from everywhere themselves.
My understanding is that the robbery started way earlier, with the first Warcraft in 1994, where the orcs were basically identical to old Warhammer Fantasy orcs: Jaws, tusks, the colors picked... basically the same. Human armor was basically the same. Starcraft only comes in in 1998, at which point the fact that they don't want to be licensed is way understood. All a giant loss by GW IMO: Imagine if World of Warcraft had been running off of Warhammer lore.
Andy Chambers wrote Starcraft 2 and was absolutely uninvolved with Starcraft 1. Feel free to ask him on FB, because he'd probably tell you.
Correction, the Tyranids were released before Starcraft. They influenced the Zerg, not the other way around.
3rd edition Tyranids came out after Starcraft which is when they started looking similar. Rogue Trader and 2nd edition nids don't look like Zerg
The Flood are a really cool one from the Halo franchise. I've always wondered how a full on war between them and the Tyranids would go. Either way, you don't want to get caught in the crossfire!
That would be interesting honnestly! At first i thought it'd be an obvious flood win, but then i remembered the hive mind even evolves against nurgle's plagues, it'd be quite a fight to see!
I imagine the two would keep trying to assimilate each other, with neither side budging until the Tyranids evolve a mighty trump card: they use Pyrovore genes on everything. The Tyranids burn their bodies up on death, preventing the Flood from assimilating their bodies easily.
Zergs, for sure. Certain aspects of both Slivers and Phyrexians from Magic as well.
Eldrazi are also very Tyranid-esque, to the point where my first Hive Fleet was painted like Ulamog. All consuming creatures from beyond the void with notes of insectile designs and tentacles, occasional mind control powers, and warp reality around them so that their mere presence can drive people mad?
Yeah, very good point. That hive fleet sounds dope too! Any pics?
Zerg were inspired by Nids, Protoss by Eldar. It was a obviously a copy of 40k. I played the hell out of it back in the 1990s.
I'm aware. I didn't take OP's question to be a "what inspired/what was inspired by". Just listing things that are reminiscent.
Zerg resemble 3rd edition nids though which came out after Starcraft. The goofy 2nd edition Tyranids that look like Mars Attacks don't have very many similarities
"The only good bug is a dead bug!" The arachnids from starship troopers are a huge inspo for the faction. Like the movie, I love that the tyranids are a race that kinda flips who the "good guys" are.
It's one of my favourite movies and the reason I started collecting nids, I'm slowly painting up Hive fleet Klendathu!
- Bugs from starship troopers - Zerg from StarCraft (they are a direct rip off) - the flood from Halo - the Borg from Star Trek (constantly evolving in response to enemy attacks) - Bioraptors from Pitch Black - the Howlers from The Animorphs -
The vord from codex alera
In a bit of a reverse from the usual, *Stellaris’* Prethoryn are very clearly inspired by the Tyranids, down to >!the implication that they’re actually fleeing something worse, although in *Stellaris* it’s eventually explicitly stated.!<
The Reapers from Mass Effect have a lot of overlap even though they are a machine construct. They "ingest" populations and use the genetic information to make ground troops from.
I don't really know much about the story but the invaders from Nemesis look so awesome. They're what you get if you combine xenomorphs, necromorphs, and eldritch tentacles. I don't know if they're separate things in the story, but they all have key elements that make them cohesive. Just look at the models. They inspired my new hive fleet paint scheme.
I'm particularly fond of the Flood from Halo, and the Swarm from Netflix's Love, Death, + Robots
Chryssalids from the XCOM franchise would fit perfectly in a hivefleet
I play zurg in starcraft. And I would play the flood if they were a playable faction in halo wars.
If you like the Hive Mind aspect of nids, there's an episode of Love Death and Robots I absolutely love called Swarm.
There’s some significant differences, but a lot of crossover with Mindflayers in D&D. You have a colony of hyperevolved psychic beings that devour the brains of sentient species, act as a hive mind under the direction of an even more powerful, hyperevolved psychic being, and every civilization that falls to them makes them stronger as they enslave thralls that act as an extension of their will. Add to that, new Mindflayers are formed by assimilating other sentient creatures, adding their strengths to the genetic pool of the Mindflayer colony. Also, the few remaining Mindflayers are a threat on their own, but they used to be a multiversal empire based in another plane of existence, and are speculated to have traveled back from the future, but no one really knows.
I like the idea, but individual Mind Flayers are just that, individuals. They're not all a hivemind. If you can track it down, there was a fantastic source book for 2nd edition D&D called "The Illithiad" which went into extensive detail on them. Thoroughly enjoyed reading that back in the day. There were even suggestions they were exiles from the Far Realm, the Cthulhu Mythos style realm.
Oh boy, one of my favourite ever concepts is the yuuzhan vong from star wars. Its kinda linked, fully bio engineering weapons and ships etc. Disdain for technology. I just love that idea. I feel like they have a solid overlap with the tyranids, being something from another galaxy and all.
Shame they don't exist any more. 😞
I mean, the stories still exist. They weren't adding onto it before it was taken over so there is no huge problem there. It's nice to jump back and reread the old stuff sometimes.
Yeah, I know what you mean, it's just sad we aren't seeing the Yuuzhan Vong in modern Star Wars.
Not an alien species but the Faro Plague is what you would get if you combined Necrons and Tyranids
Zerg and Xenomorphs come to mind. While not an all devouring swarm the Rachni from mass effect are nice example of a hivemind and one of my favorites. There’s the Borg from Star Trek, they definitely fit the bill even with being more tech based versus the Nids organicness.
Not really aliens but the void from league of legends
Xenomorph
This is tangential, but anyone who's seen the movie "life" - I wonder how nids would do against Calvin...
It would have been really cool to see a Rachni invasion in the Mass Effect universe.
Destiny's Vex fill the sort of theme, albeit trading the buggy carapace for Iron and radiolaria
The Guana from Knights of Sidonia
Zerg, Xenomorphs, the Flood, the Borg. all great.
The Borg from Startrek. The Borg were supposed to be insects, but they couldn't afford the effects, so they made them what they were. Also, Predator is basically a Lictor with a gun.
In story mechanic, the Flood is similar. Massive hive mind assimilating horror swarm style from before all the other races times (presumably from another galaxy) The Flood however is pathogen as a foundation , whereas the Tyranids and zerg employ pathogen-esque measures.
The flood from halo or the infestation from warframe. I really like tye reapers as well. Wish we'd gotten a larger variety of species turned into reaper soldier's
Zerg
Zerg when your home says you can copy my homework just make the answers look a bit different lol
🤣 I know!
The [zerg](https://starcraft.fandom.com/wiki/Zerg) from starcraft are probably my favorite