While Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky NEXT appears to be garnering some positive response from the community, owners of the GOG version have proper reason to be miffed. In a joint statement from GOG and Hello Games, it was revealed that multiplayer wouldn’t be available for the GOG version at launch. Instead, it will be out later this year.
On the GOG forums, both parties stated that, “From launch, the DRM-free edition of No Man’s Sky will include all single-player content introduced by NEXT: third-person mode, upgraded visuals, better base building, player customization, and more.
“However the multiplayer component will not be ready at launch; we expect it to be released later this year as full multiplayer parity remains in the pipeline.”
As you’d expect, the complex nature of adding this feature across multiple platforms is to blame. Along with releasing for the PS4 and Steam versions, NEXT was also readied to launch alongside the Xbox One version. The good news is that GOG will be working with Hello Games to ensure that full multiplayer comes to the former’s GOG Galaxy service.
“For a small, independent studio, developing the feature across multiple platforms is a hugely ambitious and technical challenge which resulted in this delayed release. Hello Games is however joining forces with GOG.COM to introduce full multiplayer via the GOG Galaxy platform. We appreciate your immense support and patience.”
In the meantime, No Man’s Sky NEXT does have a lot of other features for single-player fans to enjoy. Base-building has been expanded significantly and players can now build multiple bases in any location they’d like. Large fleet battles are also possible, along with sending Frigates on different missions (which play out in real-time, so you can tag along if you’d like).