A NeoGAF user extracts all the data from the Steam version of No Man's Sky in search of multiplayer, but discovers what is possibly the player character's avatar instead.

Since No Man's Sky features a shared online universe, it is technically possible to meet up with other players in-game. However, due to the vast nature of the game, it is almost impossible to play it as a genuine multiplayer experience, though some believe that No Man's Sky was originally intended to have more multiplayer features. One NeoGAF user, Hugo Peters, decided to see if these theories were true, datamining the Steam version of No Man's Sky looking for answers.

Unfortunately, Peters failed to find anything referencing potential No Man's Sky multiplayer functionality, but that's not to say Peter's datamining efforts were pointless. He did manage to find some other interesting information on the game, including what may be the player character's avatar, as well as references to other video games.

No Man's Sky is played entirely from the first-person perspective, meaning players really have no way of knowing what their character looks like. No Man's Sky developer and Hello Games co-founder Sean Murray previously stated during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the only way to see what the player character looks like is for two people to meet up in the game online. Unfortunately, the first time two players ended up on the same planet, they were unable to see each other due to server issues, but thanks to the efforts of Hugo Peters, we may now have an idea of what the player character looks like in the game.

Beyond this potential avatar design, Peters also found files with the Half-Life 2 logo, which was apparently used for texture tests during the No Man's Sky's development. He also discovered an unfinished 3D model of a monkey wearing a fez, which is possibly a nod to a similar creature that appears in the studio's Joe Danger games.

Speaking of unused assets, Peters also discovered references in No Man's Sky's data to possible PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game. We know that No Man's Sky began development four years ago, which was well before the launch of PS4 and Xbox One, so it makes sense that it was in development for last-generation consoles at one point in time. Whether or not PS3 and Xbox 360 could have handled No Man's Sky remains to be seen, but the power of the new-generation consoles probably made it easier for Hello Games to achieve its lofty goals with the game.

There's probably still a lot more hidden away in No Man's Sky, but as players continue to explore its vast universe of 18 quintillion planets and others sift through its game data, more should come to light. In the meantime, it's clear from the data that No Man's Sky in its current state simply doesn't support genuine multiplayer, but fans shouldn't rule out the possibility of the feature being added in one of the game's future free updates.

No Man's Sky is available now for PC and PlayStation 4.

Source: NeoGAF