No Man’s Sky’s Switch launch was an opportunity to ‘focus on some basics’

Since its launch in 2016, there have been many big and specific updates to No Man’s Sky. 2018 saw the release of the massive ‘Next’ expansion along with a new Xbox release, while the 2020 ‘Origins’ update essentially doubled the variety in the game. With the game arriving on the Nintendo Switch on October 7, the team at Hello Games decided to use the launch as an opportunity to update some seemingly smaller – but still important – aspects of the game. No Man’s Sky for its 4.0 update, which will reach all platforms.

“What we want to do is focus on some of the basics,” says Sean Murray of Hello Games. the edge. “It’s nice to research that side of things and make the game nice for new and returning players. Arrange your house a little bit and then bring in visitors.”

This means that October 7th will witness two significant milestones, starting with the debut of No Man’s Sky on the switch. This isn’t the first time the game has been played on a mobile device, technically speaking, given that it’s one of the most popular on Steam Deck. In fact, this success on Valve’s handheld device helped Murray better understand the appeal of playing the game on the go. “I’ve always been a bit, skeptical, but curious,” he says of bringing the game to the Switch. “I wasn’t sure if it would fit into mobile play, and the Steam Deck action made it work for me.”

One of his concerns was technically: it wasn’t clear whether No Man’s SkyAn expansive, procedurally-generated universe and all of the many updates that have come out since launch will be fitting on the Switch. At first, the team thought they might have to create a separate branch; Switching players will be in one world while the others play in another. It turns out that this is not the case. “You can go and find a tree on the PlayStation 5 and then somehow go there on the Switch and find the same tree,” he says.

However, the Switch version is launching with some notable omissions. The Switch port won’t have multiplayer at launch, nor will it contain alien settlements that were first introduced in 2021. Murray says of deciding what to include in the Switch version, “the focus was on gameplay and performance” to make sure we delivered Something that was as close to its console brethren as possible.” These features could be introduced in a future update, and Murray says the team will be looking closely at how Switch players experience the game to determine where to focus in terms of future changes.

Elsewhere, Update 4.0 isn’t packed with new content – so don’t expect weird new additions like space whales – but rather a series of significant quality of life tweaks designed to make it easier for both the new and the new. Players return to enter the game. The save system has been modified, for example, to make it easier to get in and out for short gaming sessions (which should be perfect for the Switch). Murray also says that the inventory system has been overhauled, and in-game records have been simplified to make it easier to find what’s new And the What you did recently in the game. (The frequency of updates in No Man’s Sky Means that it is often difficult to return after a long absence from the game.) There will also be a new “Comfort” mode that restores survival elements for a less stressful experience.

Murray points out that while major expansions are significant, the largest shift in No Man’s Sky That was when the Hello team started pushing for constant updates instead of saving everything for one big launch. “It changed our basic interaction with society,” he says. “Seeing the reaction and then allowing ourselves to adapt to it was motivation for the team.”

The main question, of course, is how long this can continue. Hello Games has other titles in the works, and after six years of updates, it’s not unfair to think they’re sick No Man’s SkyThe vast universe. Instead, Murray says he feels “really lucky” to be able to continue working on something that has managed to attract so many players. and future No Man’s Sky It depends not only on this community but also on the team that makes it up.

Murray explains that development in the game will continue “while those two things are true: the team enjoys doing it and has ideas that are passionate about it, and the players are receptive and excited.” “I always work on the assumption that this is too good to be true, and the party will be ready next year,” he adds.