There is one thing I will give developers Hello Games full credit for- how tirelessly they have been working on No Man’s Sky since its original release back in 2016. That release, as I am sure you remember, was a bit of a mess, with promised features (most notably multiplayer) missing entirely from the game.
Since then, Hello Games has updated the game to improve the core gameplay loop, add new features and functionality, and overhaul its very foundation. Now, with the upcoming “NEXT” update for the game, which is planned for next week (get it?), they come the closest they have been to meeting the promise of the game as it was originally pitched.
This new update adds, among other things, a third person point of view, full multiplayer with friends and random players, including co-op and the ability to take on other players, as well as substantially improved graphics. New terrain types have also been added, as has the ability to make a base anywhere– basically, what was promised years ago all finally seems to be in this game. You can take a look at the full notes for the update below, while we’ve also embedded a trailer for the update if you want to take a look at it.
It’s worth noting that Hello Games is a small studio, and No Man’s Sky‘s sales can’t have been too good after the initial (at the time deserved) backlash. Them continuing to turn the game around for so long after its launch, and offering all these updates for free, should be commended (though an argument is to be made that they are only now delivering the product they originally promised to begin with).
No Man’s Sky‘s “NEXT” update launches on PS4 and PC next week. The Xbox One version, which also launches next week, will have the update applied to it from launch.
New Multiplayer Mode:
- Team up with a small group of friends to explore the universe together, or joined with random travellers online
- Help friends stay alive, or prey on others to survive
- Build shelter or complex colonies together to share with your team
- Fight as a pirate or a wingman in epic space battles with friends and enemies
- Race exocraft across weird alien terrains, creating race tracks and trails to share online
Extensive Visual Overhaul:
- Play in third or first person, both on-foot and in ship
- Gaze on planetary rings and improved space visuals that make space more beautiful than ever
- Explore dramatically improved planetary terrain generation, ground textures, water and clouds that bring the environment to life
- Enjoy significantly more detail added to ships, NPCs and buildings
Unlimited Base Building:
- Build bases anywhere on any planet, with hundreds of new base parts added to the game
- Create bigger and better bases than ever before, with dramatically increased base building complexity and size limits
- Architect and own multiple bases
Command Freighters:
- Assemble and upgrade a fleet of frigates and command them from the bridge of your freighter
- Send your fleet out to into the universe or deploy them to help you as you explore a specific system
- Build a truly custom capital ship with improved freighter base building
- Invite your friends aboard and take on challenging multiplayer missions from the Galactic Commision Station on your bridge
