It’s been almost two years since gamers first traversed a procedurally-generated space in No Man’s Sky. Now, developer studio Hello Games and publisher 505 Games have made the next biggest leap since it all began: porting to the Xbox One. Now Xbox gamers have a chance to seek and explore an endless universe from the mind of Sean Murray.
On Thursday, Hello Games announced No Man’s Sky for the Xbox One, as well as a free update called “No Man’s Sky NEXT” for all players, including those on PlayStation 4 and PC. The Xbox One port will have all of the previously-released updates to No Man’s Sky, including Foundation, Pathfinder, Atlas Rises, and “dozens of smaller patches” released for the game since it launched in August of 2016. A stunning technical achievement, No Man’s Sky allows players to explore, charter, and even name undiscovered systems, planets, and fauna in a wide-open universe that’s procedurally generated by math.
All versions of No Man’s Sky, including Xbox One, will have a free update called “No Man’s Sky NEXT” later this year. While not a sequel, lead developer Sean Murray said it “is an important next step in a journey for No Man’s Sky, for Hello Games and for our devoted community … This journey is far from over, and it’s exciting to be working again on something you know will surprise people.”
Box art for 'No Man's Sky' on the Xbox One.
Following its launch in 2016, No Man’s Sky was criticized for underdelivering on features promised by Hello Games, which kept quiet from the community while hammering away on updates. Said updates to the game have allowed No Man’s Sky to retain a cult following close to two years later. Though not a competitive experience, No Man’s Sky satisfies those who just want to explore space than survive waves of enemy attacks (though that’s possible, too).
Going to Xbox can only bring more attention to No Man’s Sky, still one of the most interesting games in years, and the included updates can ensure a better first impression than the vanilla version.
No Man’s Sky will be released on Xbox One later this year. It is available on PlayStation 4 and PC now.
