There's been some alarming news on the Helldivers 2 warfront. It turns out Helldivers 2's Shriekers, the flying bugs quite literally making the rounds, are indeed very real, despite repeated denials from folks like creative director Johan Pilestedt, who's also CEO of developer Arrowhead and who may well have put himself in the hot seat of the Galactic War's high command.
A new in-game dispatch confirms: "A new strain of flying Terminids has suddenly appeared across all Terminid planets, with no prior warning or indication of any kind. While the Ministry of Intelligence has always known this was a possibility, the abruptness of the evolution indicates a high possibility of dissident concealment."
Yes, if only there had been some prior warning or indication of any kind. Now, I'm not a lawyer, nor have I studied intergalactic media law very closely (read: at all), but it sounds to me like the brave flying bug whistleblowers have been vindicated, while Shrieker deniers like Pilestedt have some explaining to do. I'm sure the director will say he was only containing panic while awaiting definitive confirmation of this new threat to provide the best possible directives for the good of Super Earth, but I'm not fully convinced of that excuse I just wrote myself. For good measure, I need to see a picture of Pilestedt posing with a slain Shrieker like a fisherman showing off a bluefin tuna.
The dispatch continues: "The deployment of Termicide was fortuitously timed – doubtlessly, it averted an even worse evolution. Helldivers are advised to exterminate these mutations whenever encountered."
Oh yes, doubtlessly. Surely planet-wide deployment of Space Cockroach Agent Orange had nothing to do with the appearance of a dangerous breed of mutant bug, and surely this is the only time that'll happen. I'm really starting to hope players are actually wrong about the perceived signs of a Bile Titan-beating superbug that may soon rear its ugly head.
Pilestedt asked players how to fight serial kickers, and the community's got one surefire way to humble toxic hosts: throw their samples in the abyss.
