Has there been a greater redemption arc than No Man’s Sky? The game was largely ridiculed at launch, following an outrageous hype cycle and a hollow launch, but Hello Games has knuckled down and deployed the title’s 19th major update this week. If you haven’t played it for a while, you may need our No Man’s Sky guide to get started, because it’s transformed beyond recognition.
And speaking with IGN, boss Sean Murray has revealed that his group remains very much committed to the release: “The team are always coming up with new things that they want to do with the game: new content and features and areas for improvement,” he beamed. “I'm amazed that the energy levels are as high now as they've ever been. We're not done yet by a long shot.”
The latest update, Sentinel, makes a ton of refinements to the sci-fi epic’s core combat loops, but also adds in entirely new systems – like the ability to recruit drones and mechs to fight alongside you. It’s this mixture of refinements and major new features that are key to each update, and Murray likened the team’s approach to a painting.
“I like to think that No Man's Sky is such a large game that we have to paint in broad brush strokes, and then each update comes along and fills in some finer detail but also paints more new broad strokes.” The analogy being that the developer is always incorporating more and more major features, then refining the smaller details as it goes.
The truly impressive thing about all this is that, if you bought the title at launch several years ago, you’ll still get access to all of its improvements free of charge. Hello Games is treating the game like a service, but it’s not flogging extortionate microtransactions – at least, not right now anyway. Excitingly, it’s also working on another project alongside No Man’s Sky, although it’s keeping that close to its chest for the time being.
[source ign.com]
Comments 24
I’m shocked they’re still releasing large free content for the game with no way to get $$ besides new sales.
Breath of fresh air in todays industry.
I really wonder how Hello Games is supporting itself financially? I'm sure it will sell a few copies on Switch but it's been 4 years since launch and it took them about 4 years to launch b/c of the flood. Really curious to see those books, if only so I could throw them in the face of everyone who says "What, do you expect devs to work for free?" when people complain about the high prices of dlc.🤑
I've read that every time Hello Games releases a update for the game, they see a spike in sales for the game.
I thought the Expeditions update was finally the time at which they'd make players pony up for battlepass-like content chunks and they just... didn't. It was surprisingly refreshing to just... get cool new options and content.
The day one sales must have been enough to substain such a small team for years.
Just amazing what they’ve done with this game. These guys deserve every sale and all credit in the world.
"Has there been a greater redemption arc than No Man’s Sky?"
Final Fantasy XIV.
I keep wanting to give this game another try but I wanted to wait until the game was "complete" but looks like il be waiting a few more years
I never actually see anyone here playing it mind you!
The game is far better than what it launched at, but that said it's still just a giant collectathon with no real plot or focus. You just collect materials, ships, and upgrades to collect them. Combat is barebones and boring and I don't see this update changing it much. That said I still put dozens of hours into it, but you get to a point where you've seen the same randomly generated worlds over and over and the sense of exploration gets dull. It's a solid game now and stays fun for a while, 7/10 is the exact score I would give it.
A tiny Dev team who were prematurely thrust into the limelight and had to bear immense critism while turning it into productivity to produce some of the most immensely dense and creative updates that gamer-kind has known, constantly over the span of FIVE YEARS? I think it's safe to say I'm impressed. Big respect to Hello Games 👍
It's certainly changed a lot but it still isn't any good. Kill it
The updates are great but part of me still misses the lonely astronaut, 1.0 version.
If you have yet to play this or have only played the launch version...do yourself a massive favor and DO IT.
One day I'll pick this up for my wife, she's always been keen on it.
@RadioHedgeFund at the start there was a certain charm to its lonely, melancholy atmospheres.
@Gloamin I quite like games like this. Metroid is an obvious banner example of the solitude genre but the majority of Zero Dawn has a similar feel.
I hope that Aloy isn’t joined by her friends too much in Forbidden West as solo exploring the ruins of the old ones is spine tingling. Having to babysit others whilst doing it, not so much.
@art_of_the_kill i mean yes but they also charge for expansions and you have the subscription fees etc. I think what makes no man sky so remarkable is that none of the updates cost anything.
One of my GOATs to be honest and i speak as someone who was there from the start, its been one hell of an exciting ride and i can't wait to what else they add.
@RadioHedgeFund Yeah for sure!
Metroid is a great example. And Shadow of the Collosus definitely springs to mind in this case.
That space for the player to be isolated and feel alone can be extremely important in developing a sense of scale, atmosphere and urgency.
I have to tell y'all - the game in VR on PS5 is absolutely an incredible experience.
The release on Switch will have a big impact on their overall sales. Plus the game also saw a spike in sales following its release on Game Pass.
It still seems strange though that they're giving away so much for free.
@RadioHedgeFund I actually loved it at launch too. It was unique
With every update, it moves further from that focused, isolationist experience and feels busier and more overwhelming. I tried to grow an organic ship the last time I played and the mission arc was ludicrously longwinded. Bummer.
@Gigawatt-Kapow It was almost souls-like: spawn on death world with acid atmosphere eating your armour. Die. Repeat. Die. Get bearings. Die. Find Ship. Sit inside and make a plan. Etc etc.
A beautiful start to the game because the first time you take off through the atmosphere 😳 and you’re so glad to leave that horrible death world behind.
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