Even with the release of the sequel Subnautica: Below Zero, and the original game moving to PS5, the developer is still openly communicating with fans about how to best improve the series moving forward. Then, after the official release of Subnautica 1.0, Below Zero also started out with much of the development happening at a surface level, with fans guiding the way.įrom the very beginning, fans were asked to submit feedback as alpha and beta builds were released, and that channel is still open between players and Unknown Worlds to this day. Starting out in Early Access, developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment took fan feedback with every step of the process, leading the original game to its launch. On the opposite end of the spectrum for an indie survival title, Subnautica has had one of the most open and transparent development cycles than most games. Considering the lack of interest in jumping from star system to star system in 2016, this is a much better problem for fans to have, especially after having stuck with Hello Games for so long. Multiple questlines give players so much to do that some fans run into over-choice, like when flipping through for the next show or movie to stream on Netflix or Disney Plus. The result is that No Man's Sky in 2021 is a completely different experience than it was in 2016 not only matching the original promises from that early hype, but exceeding those older intentions in many ways. These have added entire new storylines, base building mechanics, and of course, the multiplayer that had been advertised as a selling point from the initial launch. However, in the years since the game's initial release, there have been a number of foundational updates with titles like Next and Beyond, two of the most popular overhauls thus far. Most recent to the updates coming to No Man's Sky is the Prism update, which acts mostly as a graphical overhaul, but also added some new creatures and ships for players to find across the universe. Whatever the case was, this all led to the 2016 release of No Man's Sky becoming a cautionary tale for other developers, and Hello Games has put in considerable effort to rebuild the game into what was promised. Many of the promised features may have been intended to be added in later updates, or PR and marketing may have pushed too hard on the hype train in order to better temper expectations. It should be noted that while this all painted an unimpressive picture of Hello Games, as well as some key developers who had become the faces of No Man's Sky, there is a lot about development behind the scenes that the general public will likely never know. The developer followed up with an extended public silence before eventual updates changed the game. As a result, players in 2016 quickly ripped apart both No Man's Sky and Hello Games for the misrepresentation of what would be available at launch. The major issues comes down to the way that the game launched without multiplayer, among other key features, that ultimately lead to misleading and misrepresentative information. Much of the public outlook of No Man's Sky starts and ends with the early promises of multiplayer and eighteen-quintillion unique planets.
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