What a whirlwind of a week. As I’ve basically been living on Twitter, and watching everyone’s reactions, I thought I needed a bit of space to absorb and think about this post.
On Monday, Hello Games released a compilation video of the last 5 years of updates, with the VERY brief teaser at the end that announced the name of the next update, with a vague ‘Coming Soon.’
I hate that phrase.
What do you mean by soon? Later today? Sometime this week? Next month?
When it comes down to it though, we really know nothing. There’s been so much speculation: combat overhaul, exploration of the void, space station ownership, ship customization (I know, this is wished for by some in every update - I’m in the camp that it’s not needed - don’t @ me, bruh). While speculation is fun, I know it’s not everyone’s cuppa tea, so I’ll leave others to do it.
What I do know is that Hello Games has been patiently listening to its community, and quietly working to regularly churn out great content and quality of life improvements since the beginning.
“We knew this was the start of a journey, but never expected what a wild ride it would be. Today we’d like to take a moment to appreciate this milestone together. It hasn’t always been easy, but the thing that has been our guiding star throughout has been the players and the community. Behind every update, every video, every feature and line in a patch note is a team that cares so deeply for this game.”
-Sean Murray, “No Man’s Sky 5th Anniversary”
And what a community it is. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the most delightful humans because of this game. It got me (and many others) through the year of quarantine that we all endured. It gave us an outlet to meet up and explore a universe with friends, and an escape from the four walls of our homes. So many talented content creators and artists assemble on social media, sharing their stories and adventures with everyone.
And rather than complaints and trolling, a vast majority are expressing unbridled enthusiasm and excitement for something that they know nothing about. This would not have happened without a small studio’s ambitious project, a complete willingness to make good on promises, and going above and beyond - again and again - for their player-base.
Thank you, Hello Games, for giving us such a magnificent sandbox; and thank you Travelers for coming out to play.
If you like what you have read, consider dropping some change into my tip jar for my next cup of coffee.