Helldivers 2 director insists footage of flying terminids is "propaganda from bug sympathizers," so you can probably look forward to fighting hordes of them on Erata Prime pretty soon

Heads up, Helldivers – literally. Seemingly out of nowhere, there've been sightings of flying terminids out in the wild, which the game's director – and the Ministry of Truth – insist are "filthy lies" and "propaganda from bug sympathizers." So, uh, we can probably expect to start seeing a lot more of them soon.

While they don't seem to be super common at this point, a few recorded encounters with the flying bugs have been shared on Reddit. One user reports discovering them on a Difficulty 5 mission on Fenrir 3, and claims: "It's a side objective called 'Shrieker lair' like the Stalker. They only came out when I came close."

Admittedly, the concept of flying bugs being added to the game shouldn't come as too much of a shock. After all, the same creatures can be spotted in the background of the official cover art for the game. However, director Johan Pilestedt puts this down to "image manipulation by traitors" and currently refuses to acknowledge their existence.

"I've heard rumors of flying bugs in Helldivers 2. I want to officially refute such preposterous claims," Pilestedt writes. "Everyone knows that 'Bugs can't fly.' And I'm not alone in thinking this. The Ministry of Truth agrees that this is propaganda from bug sympathizers that want to brainwash good people. #Lies."

Furthermore, as one Twitter user points out that players had spotted mechs prior to their release, Pilestedt states: "A true patriot would never have seen such filthy lies and believed the lies spread by the enemies of Super Earth. They wanted to discredit the Exosuit R&D program, by implying there were stockpiles not utilized in the war effort. Anything that can help bring peace to the galaxy is Super Earth's top priority. 'Flying bugs' on the other hand are filthy lies."

Pilestedt's ability to commit to the bit is frankly admirable, but needless to say, the flying critters do exist, it just seems we might have to wait a little longer before they're introduced officially. When that happens remains to be seen, but it's incredibly cool that we can encounter surprises like this that were never even mentioned in any patch notes.

Helldivers 2's current Major Order tasks us with activating Termicide-dispensing towers. Be sure to check out our guide to help you do your part in activating the Terminid Control System.