No Man's Sky comes to Xbox One with "Next" update
It was probably inevitable, but Hello Games is bringing their controversial universe sim to Xbox One. No Man's Sky Next is the, well, next big update for the game, which is coming to PS4 and PC this summer and will be included on the new Xbox One release, courtesy of publisher 505 Games. Details are scarce for now (as is to be expected with Hello Games) but hopefully this update will be just as hefty as Atlas Rises, which arrived last August for the game's 1-year anniversary.
No Man's Sky and Hello Games continue to surprise me. Despite the game's overwhelmingly negative reception when it launched in 2016 in a frankly incomplete and incredibly buggy state, Hello Games have kept plugging along, releasing periodic content updates and patches to make the game more like the concept they originally promised.
That said, while No Man's Sky has a lot more content now it still isn't all that much fun to play. I've played with each update but there's still a lot of tedious grind and general obtuseness and obscurity between the player and the fun, which seems counter-intuitive for a game ostensibly about unfettered exploration. It's also still a fairly shaky game technically, that needs serious optimization, at least on PC. I feel like a more experienced outside publisher or developer needs come in to take the current game, polish the hell out of it, and rearrange all its component parts into something that flows much smoother. A more intuitive gameplay loop that replaces the resource and money grind dominating the current gameplay would go a long way toward fixing things.
Despite my criticisms and the sour taste I still have in my mouth, I'm still rooting for Hello Games. They could've jumped ship when things got rough. It takes dedication to stick with your vision when you've been dragged through the mud, deservedly or not. Hopefully 505 Games and the renewed push to get No Man's Sky on Xbox One will finally deliver a fun, seamless game.
Hello Games announces NO MAN’S SKY NEXT
505 Games will distribute the Xbox One retail version worldwide
Today, Hello Games, an indie team based in the United Kingdom, announce that No Man’s Sky Next is deep in development as another free update for existing players on ‘PlayStation®4 (PS4™) computer entertainment system’ and PC, as well as launching on Xbox One.
In August 2016, a small indie development team Hello Games, released the hugely ambitious and highly-anticipatedNo Man’s Sky on PS4™ and PC.
Millions of gamers worldwide have spent hundreds of millions of hours voyaging across its vast, procedurally-generated sandbox universe - exploring, trading and fighting in a living breathing universe.
In the last 18 months, Hello Games and No Man’s Sky’s community of avid followers have continued to build out the game through 3 major updates (Foundation, Pathfinder, Atlas Rises) and dozens of smaller patches.
“We are calling this No Man’s Sky NEXT because it is an important next step in a journey for No Man’s Sky, for Hello Games and for our devoted community,” said Sean Murray, founder at Hello Games. “Each update for No Man’s Skyhas been more successful than the last; this was especially true of our last update Atlas Rises. It emboldens the team to push ourselves further. This journey is far from over, and it’s exciting to be working again on something you know will surprise people.”
Xbox One owners will be able to explore this vast procedurally generated universe later in 2018, including all content developed to date and a lot more surprises from Next yet to be announced. 505 Games will distribute the physical Xbox One version worldwide.
ABOUT THIS GAME
Inspired by the adventure and imagination that we love from classic science-fiction, No Man's Sky presents you with a galaxy to explore, filled with unique planets and lifeforms, constant danger and action.
In No Man's Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you'll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before - and perhaps never will again.
If you want to find out more you can follow on Twitter, subscribe to YouTube, like on Facebook, or visit no-mans-sky.com to find out more.
ABOUT HELLO GAMES
Hello Games was founded in 2009 by a band of four friends who had climbed their way to the top of the pile at great developers like Criterion, Sumo, Kuju, EA and Climax. They decided to set forth on a brave journey of discovery and adventure to bring some new, funky, colourful pixels to the world.
Since then they have been joined by some more talented people from around the globe, mostly based in Guildford, United Kingdom. Together they are just trying to unleash the charm and creativity that has been stopping them from sleeping at night.
Learn more about Hello Games at www.hellogames.org.
ABOUT 505 GAMES
505 Games is a global video game publisher focused on offering a broad selection of titles for players of all ages and levels. The company publishes and distributes premium and free-to-play games on leading console, PC and handheld platforms as well as for mobile devices and social networks.
Publishing highlights in premium games include Last Day of June, PAYDAY 2, Terraria, Portal Knights, Assetto Corsa, ABZÛ, Virginia, Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons and How to Survive. Free-to-play publishing highlights include Battle Islands and Gems of War. Distribution highlights include Stardew Valley, Dead by Daylight and Inside/Limbo. Upcoming titles include Laser League (now in Early Access on Steam), Indivisible (from the development team behindSkullgirls), Underworld Ascendant and Koji Igarashi’s next project, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
505 Games has offices in California, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and China. It works with a network of distribution and sub-licensing partners in all other markets. For more information on 505 Games and its products please visit www.505games.com.
