No Man's Sky is set to get its next major update, which will push it into version 4.0, on October 7, with the game also coming to the Nintendo Switch at the same time. By now, a lot of people already know the story. Despite it being a game that initially bombed on release, with a lot of controversy surrounding overhype and the release lacking a lot of content the developer promised, No Man's Sky now enjoys a substantial amount of success. Much of that is thanks to Hello Games' hard work to turn things around.
The UK studio has managed to pretty much entirely redeem itself after the launch debacle back in 2016. With No Man's Sky receiving a ton of free updates since, with the "Endurance" patch being one of the latest major ones, the game has more than surpassed original expectations, with an immersive universe to explore that has a lot for fans to see and do. In fact, since it released more than six years ago, there have been 20 significant updates for the game which have really encouraged a lot of people to come back to it, helping the developer and game experience a 180 in terms of reputation.
Now No Man's Sky is finally be getting a Switch port, which will be arriving at the same time as the 4.0 update, which fans can expect on October 7. In a recent interview with the studio's co-founder Sean Murray, it seems this upcoming patch is going to be a pretty important one. Murray says version 4.0 will revisit some of the game's key aspects, such as streamlining the tutorial, and will also introduce some new game modes. Murray goes on to say that this update will hopefully address concerns some fans who have not played in a while might have. There have been so many patches since 2016 that it may even be overwhelming for some, so the developer seems to want to appeal to those players, as well as anyone who feels the game is a bit too "grindy."
For all of Hello Games' efforts, No Man's Sky eventually won a BAFTA earlier this year in the "Evolving Game" category. It's gone down as one of the most well-known redemptive arcs in the industry, showing that there are ways for disastrous launches to make amends and change public opinion through hard work and listening to the community.
As a result, Sean Murray insists that the Hello Games team learned a lesson about overhype. With the developer said to be working on a new project, it will be intriguing to see how Hello Games handles the marketing. It's also going to be interesting to learn what the studio has up its sleeves and whether it can possibly hope to top the ambition of No Man's Sky.
No Man's Sky is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and the Switch port releases on October 7.
Source: Eurogamer