At launch, No Man's Sky was derided for failing to live up to the lofty expectations that Hello Games, especially studio founder Sean Murray, set for it. But while No Man's Sky couldn't live up to the hype at release, updates since launch have reversed public opinion on the space exploration game, in what is quite easily one of the most impressive comebacks in video game history. Now Hello Games is teasing its next project, which is supposedly going to be "huge" and "ambitious" like No Man's Sky.
Hello Games studio founder Sean Murray confirmed as much in an interview with Polygon. During the interview, Murray explained that only three members of the Hello Games development team were working on the recently released The Last Campfire, with the remaining 23 employees working on No Man's Sky updates and the new game. Murray stopped short of providing specifics about what exactly the game will entail beyond that it is not a No Man's Sky sequel, but Hello Games did confirm to IGN later that the project is still in the early stages of development. Considering this, it may be quite some time before fans learn more specifics about the studio's new game.
While Sean Murray is already describing Hello Games' new title as "huge" and "ambitious," it makes sense that he's otherwise staying quiet about it. Part of the reason why there was such an intense backlash for No Man's Sky was because of how much the game was hyped up. Murray himself seemingly lied about or misled people about some of No Man's Sky features, which only upset fans further.
Murray misleading consumers about No Man's Sky's features, whether intentional or not, did result in some issues for Hello Games. No Man's Sky refunds were given out by major retailers, regardless of how much the game had been played, and the company was accused of false advertising. Controversies like this can be avoided and fan expectations can be kept in check if Hello Games and Murray are honest about what the new game will bring to the table.
But while No Man's Sky has been through its fair share of controversies, as previously stated, the game is now generally looked at in a favorable light. This is largely thanks to the various No Man's Sky updates that have released in the years since launch, which have added many popular features, including online multiplayer support. And luckily, fans can still expect No Man's Sky to get more updates, even with this new game in development.
No Man's Sky is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.