Game developer Hello Games has previously stated that it is going to release its adventure exploration survival video game “No Man’s Sky” on the PlayStation 4 and the PC on June 21.
However, on May 27, the developer announced that the highly anticipated game’s release date will be pushed back to August 9.
Sean Murray, the founder of Hello Games, made the announcement about the push back on the release date of “No Man’s Sky” apparently because they needed to do some extra polishing on some of the game’s key moments to bring them up to standards, reports The Verge.
“No Man’s Sky” was first announced in 2013 as an ambitious sci-fi game set in a procedurally-generated universe with more than 18 quintillion planets to explore, each with their own unique ecosystems and wildlife. In addition, Hello Games also put a different soundtrack on each planet, courtesy of British band 65daysofstatic which is also procedurally-generated.
Not been attempted before
In a previous interview, Murray was quoted as saying that the universe of “No Man’s Sky” is incredibly vast. It is also a type of game that has not been attempted before by a smaller team than anyone would expect under an intense amount of expectation.
During the May 27 announcement, Murray said that the game has come together and it is such an incredible relief for the development team of Hello Games.
He also said that the team has been play-testing “No Man’s Sky” every day. But when they approached the final deadline, they realized that some key moments of the game still needed some fine-tuning.
Murray explained that he had to make the tough choice to delay the game for a few weeks to allow them to deliver something special and within or above the expectations of gamers, details the PlayStation Blog.
He also announced that the game shall officially roll out to the PlayStation 4 and the PC on August 9 in North America, on August 10 in Europe, and on August 12 in the UK.
To sort of appease the expectant gamers, Murray also said that he understands that some would take the news as disappointing. But he also explained that “No Man’s Sky” is the hardest thing he has ever done in his life and he and his development team are so close now. He said that they are also prepared to make the tough choices just to get things right.
Everything exists for a reason
While “No Man’s Sky” does not have a traditional linear story of huge cut scenes like most video games, it has nonetheless an infinite number of planets for gamers to explore.
Most of all, “No Man’s Sky” also has a lore and a procedurally-generated universe where everything exists for a reason.
Sean Murray also explained how the development team approached the lore in “No Man’s Sky” in a way that is a bit different from what players might be used to in other games.
Murray explained that when the development team was creating buildings in the game, they tried to think of who might have built it and why. This means that gamers would have a lot of exploring to do once they play the game.
In order to focus on the lore, Hello Games has actually taken in Dave Gibbons from “Watchmen,” “Kingsman,” and “2000 AD,” and James Swallow from “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” and “Star Trek” to create for “No Man’s Sky” stories in its universe.
The same stories and lore shall be included in the “Adventures in No Man’s Sky” which is meant to hype up gamer interest in the video game when it is finally released on the PlayStation 4 and the PC. It shall also be included in the game’s limited edition.
In other words, Gibbons and Swallow will focus on the development of the nitty-gritty of the lore by lending their knowledge to the team.