Since No Man’s Sky got an official reveal at last year’s E3, it’s safe to say this game is one of the most anticipated games in all of the video game community. It appears that Sony is well aware of just how much buzz the game is getting, considering that Sony UK’s Fergal Gara recently sat down with MCV and said that he believes the game could get a physical disc release alongside a digital download.
“We have been working very closely with the developers and bringing it into our release program as if we had made it. We are not going to treat it any differently and we are going to put the full weight of PlayStation behind it. If it all comes together as well as expected, it will be treated like a first-party release; it is not a self-published small indie title on the platform.” Gara said.
As a rule in the past, indie games don’t get a physical release when they come to consoles. Gara hinted that policy might be changing for more than just No Man’s Sky. “It is entirely possible that we will release some of these games together, digitally and physically, or one after another, but it will be decided on a title-by-title basis.” He added.
It seems safe to assume that No Man’s Sky could act as a test case for Sony. If the sales for the physical release are strong, the company will look long and hard at other indie titles. If it struggles, it could mean the end of that approach for a long while. No Man’s Sky is expected to be out exclusively for the PS4 later this year, but an official release date is still unknown.