No Man’s Sky may have had a rocky launch but continuous updates have since turned it into the game it was supposed to be when it was released, and more. Today No Man’s Sky celebrates its fifth anniversary and while Hello Games’ founder Sean Murray is traveling down memory lane with some of the game’s most memorable updates, he also hinted towards a new update called Frontiers.
The game’s controversial launch resulted in an investigation into misleading advertising and saw the developer receive death threats despite the game being Sony’s second biggest PS4 launch of all time. After promising to expand the scope of the game through updates, the first of these was released just 10 weeks after the launch of the game. The Foundations update introduced base building as well as the Creative and Survival game modes.
This was then followed by the Pathfinder and Atlas Rises updates, but the next major shift for No Man’s Sky was the introduction of Next. As well as launching on Xbox One, the update introduced co-op and competitive multiplayer, unlimited base building, a third-person viewpoint, character customization, and a visual overhaul. Murray says this “felt almost like a new game launch” and it was the start of new weekly updates that focused on community challenges.
The Abyss and Visions updates introduced new content before the Beyond update brought the game to PlayStation VR. There was also the addition of a full online component and rideable creatures. Murray states “it was the moment I felt I could see the game with fresh eyes, to really step into this universe we had created with a new perspective.” By this time the game’s average playtime per player had doubled since launch.
Many updates have followed since, concluding most recently with the Prisms update. The game has launched “an enhanced, ultra version” on PlayStation 5, which was “a real moment for the team.” Looking to the future, the next major update will be called Frontiers. This is described as “a missing piece of the sci-fi fantasy that we’ve always wanted to add, and very fitting for our fifth anniversary.” You can get a first glimpse of the update’s logo in the No Man’s Sky 5-year anniversary trailer below:
No details on No Man’s Sky Frontiers have been revealed yet, but the team will have more to share “soon.” As soon as we hear more, we’ll be sure to let you know.
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
