No Man's Sky lead is once again emoji posting, leaving fans wondering what bees might mean for the survival game's next update: "Hive, colony, swarm…"
Others think it could be a Light No Fire teaser, but . . .
No Man's Sky and Hello Games lead Sean Murray has left the community in shambles once again with his cryptic emoji posting, this time with, erm, bees.
Yes, bees. The first post from Murray came just three days ago, containing a single bee emoji – and, of course, nothing else at all. That was enough to set fans ablaze and running wild with theories on what a bee could possibly mean for the survival game, but the supposed teasers didn't end there.
One day later, Murray took to the web with another thread, this time with three bee emojis. This cemented that Hello Games has something up its sleeve.
🐝🐝🐝 https://t.co/0l6jkDvoPwMay 24, 2026
Comments show all sorts of assumptions, with players trying to dig into the concept of bees for potential No Man's Sky update ideas.
"Hive, colony, swarm, honeycomb, hivemind," one fan ponders. They then add that the developers could also be "testing some new/updated mechanics that will be used in Light No Fire" – although I feel like that's probably just some hopium at this point. We've had little word on Light No Fire thus far, after all.
Since the original bee emoji posts, Murray has continued to feed into the shenanigans with retweets and the like – and a new meme today about bees. So, what the heck does any of this mean?
One fan on Reddit proposes colonies as a thought, writing, "My wish/hope is a base building update to let us create settlement cities that we can share with other players, group responsibilities and rewards for working together." That does sound nice.
Colonies from r/NoMansSkyTheGame
Others simply aren't sure. Over in a separate discussion, a fan shares a meme that summarizes all of the theories, from insects to hives… to the "not the bees" seed from Terraria.
There are also, unsurprisingly, plenty of random GIFs to be found, personifying the confusion and excitement that folks are feeling. This isn't the first time Murray has done this (I'm looking at you, safety vest emojis), and it likely won't be the last.
Honestly, as a big No Man's Sky fan myself, I'm not sure what to think. I think I would like a colony update of sorts, but I am itching for some Light No Fire news. I suppose we'll see.
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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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