It can already happen, turning biological pops into Hive minds, I believe, albeit Necrophage is a different flavor of assimilation to be sure.
If I remember right, that just integrates the pops into the empire, it doesn't actually do anything with traits or anything like that beyond that. Meaning you're still going to have multiple pops in your Hivemind which will distract the game away from growing your primary species.
Also it's still a common trope, we should be able to have a species that HAS to eat other empires to grow, as a Hive Mind, the literal Xenomorphs are that to an actual T.
Also, not gonna lie, I'd want a variant for Machine Empires too since I believe if one side gets a shiny new thing, every side should then get as many shiny new things, regardless of whether they work or not. In society this doesn't work too well, but in game design it's just called Content Balance.
Like, I'm dead serious, Machine Empires should've gotten either Void Dwellers, or their own version, it makes no sense why non-genocide Gestalts can't use "Common Ground" or Scion, and honestly half the anti-gestalt rules make literally no sense with Origins. There IS a very legitimate argument for Necrophage not being doable with Machine Intelligences... unless you say, combine it with Rogue Servitor, where you convert alien organic pops in your empire into your Bio-Trophy species, and Mechanical alien species into your primary species, that then would make the most sense.
Gestalts can't have Void Dwellers, yet they can have Shattered Ring. Gestalts are easily capable of forming Federations, yet can't have Common Ground, (which btw, should also be obtainable for Determined Exterminators, it'd just be that you would spawn with 2 Machine Empires in your federation, but totally off-limits for Devouring Swarms), and don't even get me started on Lost Colony, which should be selectable as literally any empire type, even Fanatic Purifiers, Devouring Swarms, or Determined Exterminators, or Hegemon which should be selectable as a Rogue Servitor, but simply isn't.
Just some of that classic Paradox Quality I see, so many inconsistencies in the design that I wouldn't be surprised if the game designers and programmers were all playing a game of telephone to develop Stellaris instead of just talking face to face.
Easy to be SUPER frustrated, Gestalts get the shaft for almost no reason, almost like the DLC isn't fully worth the current asking price of like 25 CAD.
OH also, I can confirm from a friend's words as I play with him, Necrophage Primary Species cannot grow naturally whilst assimilating pops of other species as they are forced to stop growing the moment someone starts getting necrophaged, even if the Primary pop is 1 day away from growing.
STOP! COOKIE TIME
