Hello Everyone,

Our tiny team is excited to let you know that our first free update for 2021, the COMPANIONS update, is available to download from today, free for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Win 10, Steam, Steam VR, GoG, XBox One and XBoxS/X players!

Every planet you land on in No Man’s Sky is full of varied creatures, but as wild animals players often didn't get to spend much time up close with them. Our creatures are weird, vibrant and surprising, and we wanted to give them a starring role in this update. With the COMPANIONS update, players can now tame, breed, train and even speak to the creatures they encounter.



Travellers are now able to adopt the creatures they encounter and form close bonds with them. They will travel side-by-side with you as you adventure through the universe both as a friend and as a valuable aide on your voyage. Train them to scan for resources, mark out hazards, provide light, hunt dangerous fauna, find settlements, excavate buried treasure or even mine for materials with their own shoulder-mounted mining lasers.

If properly nurtured, your companion will lay eggs which can be collected and incubated. Watch in wonder as the new-borns hatch and grow from babies to full-grown adults! Or use the Space Anomaly’s new Egg Sequencer to genetically modify your companion’s eggs into ever-wilder species.



There are a wide range of customisable accessories and decals if you want to give your companion a unique look. And if you’ve bred a rare and noteworthy creature? It could be really valuable and sought-after. Why not trade their eggs with fellow Travellers?

Creature personalities are defined by their species and ecosystem, such that no two creatures are alike, and their personalities develop further as you deepen your bond with them. Your faithful friend will roam the planet with you as you explore, and can be patted, fed and played with. Upon encountering other Travellers and their companions, they may become frightened, playful or even aggressive, based on their own unique personality.



Every adopted creature is equipped with a neural harness that connects directly to the Exosuit. Your companion’s innermost thoughts will be translated and sent directly to your internal communication channels. Feel the connection with them grow as you play with them, feed them, and go on adventures together.

This proves to be a very exciting year for No Man’s Sky and we can’t wait to show you what else we have planned on the roadmap.



Hello Games had a very busy 2020, and it was heartening for the team to know we were providing some form of escapism for folks. It was our biggest year to date, and we’re enjoying keeping the momentum going as we head into 2021. The support of the wider community has allowed us to continue working on this game we love so much. We never take it for granted and genuinely thank you.

Full patch notes for the COMPANIONS update are available here.

Thank you,

Sean

Hello!

It was 7 years ago this month that the four-person team behind the arcade motorbike stunt game Joe Danger unveiled the first trailer for a new somewhat incongruous open-world sci-fi game at the VGX Awards 2013.

3 years later in 2016, and with an average team size of just six people, No Man’s Sky launched and realized a long-held dream of mine, of creating a game which brought to life the science-fiction novels of my childhood and allowed people to explore an infinite universe and hitherto unforeseen planets.

Today, I continue to be amazed that the enduring passion for No Man’s Sky continues to excite the dev team (still only about 15 people) and fuel their imaginations, and that the community continues to respond positively to our work.

This year has seen our journey with No Man’s Sky really switch up a gear as we committed to increasing the frequency of our releases. From the creative (Living Ship, Mech, Desolation) to the technically challenging (Cross-Play, Next-Gen) to the all-encompassing Origins, the team have released no less than six meaningful updates. It is testament to the well-seasoned, tight-knit team that they barely missed a step on our 2020 roadmap even in the face of challenging conditions.

In terms of player numbers too we have seen our biggest year since launch this year and have been humbled to see how many more people have joined us on this journey. Moreover, we are delighted to continue to be able to boast one of the most friendly, helpful and welcoming communities in all of gaming.

Like any meaningful endeavour, the path to achieving your dreams is never a straight line, nor is it necessarily easy or straightforward. Certainly there have been ups and downs, but that’s what make epic journeys so rewarding.

2021 is our 5th anniversary year and we are excited to show you what we have planned.

Our journey continues.

Sean

Hello!

Four years ago we announced FOUNDATION, our first major update for No Man’s Sky, we promised “It won’t be our largest update, but it is the start of something”. Those words have proved very true, as No Man’s Sky continues to grow and evolve. Each year since our game has changed perhaps more than most, with PATHFINDER, ATLAS RISES, NEXT, ABYSS and VISIONS - making No Man's Sky broader and deeper.



BEYOND came out last year, bringing VR and hugely expanded Online play, and since then we have focused on releasing even more regular updates. SYNTHESIS, BYTEBEAT, LIVING SHIP, EXO MECH, CROSSPLAY, DESOLATION, ORIGINS and NEXT GENERATION have been some of our most popular, surprising and transformative updates – leading No Man’s Sky to have its biggest year to date.



We know there is a huge appetite in the community for No Man’s Sky content, and the team has worked our socks off this year to deliver in difficult circumstances. We have been quiet, but we are always listening and focusing on improving the game that our team loves and feels so passionately about.



This game continues to be a labor of love in the very truest sense of the words, for us, but also for the community.



We're excited to have players old and new join us on this exciting journey as we continue to look forward to next year.



We appreciate your support.

Thanks so much,

Sean

Hello!

We are excited to let Steam players know that our Next Generation update will allow PC players access to all graphical enhancements from day one.

By now many of you will have seen the announcement that the latest in a long list of 2020 No Man’s Sky updates, Next Generation, will be released in a couple of weeks’ time along with the new console hardware from Sony and Microsoft.



While we appreciate that this update is, by definition, focussed towards our console community, we did want to highlight the benefits that the all-important PC audience will get from this update and into the future.

First of all, there are a number of benefits which will be available to those with high end PCs on November 10th.

Those with high end PCs will benefit from all-new ultra biomes. The universe will be lusher, richer and more densely populated universes than ever before. Planetary surfaces will be even more detailed, with thousands more rocks, alien grasses, and exotic flora on screen at any time (with your settings set to Ultra). Alien vistas will have improved shadows, greater draw distances, thousands more objects on screen and improved lighting and volumetric effects.



Secondly, Next Generation marks a moment in time where No Man’s Sky can start to build towards a future which is less restricted and full of possibilities. This is just another stepping stone.

The full Next Generation patch notes can be found here.

Our journey continues.

Sean

Hello Everyone!

Even though the drama, adventure and exotic colours of Origins are still fresh in our minds, as the nights have drawn in and the skies have darkened we can’t help but be drawn back to the lost ships and haunted wrecks of the Desolation update.



With Halloween around the corner, we wanted to give players a reason to return to the darkest corners of the galaxy. The corroded hulls of derelict freighters can now be mined for a strange new material – Tainted Metal – and rumours abound that highly valuable Quicksilver has begun to leak from their lost cargo holds…



These crumbling space hulks are more dangerous than ever. The aliens that lurk within have mutated into stronger, faster, deadlier versions; the security systems are in overdrive; and the haunting freeze of their sub-zero environment will chill you to your bones.



Those brave enough and strong enough to collect Tainted Metal from these ghastly wrecks will find the space station Scrap Dealer keen to exchange it for an assortment of ominous base decorations and creepy customisation options.

Scrap dealers now stock the sinister Orange Pustule and Detoxified Slime to infest and putrefy your bases, as well as a Wriggling Companion for those who hold the wailing interstellar abyss close to their hearts.





A selection of placeable decals and banners are available, to add a touch of macabre decoration to planets and profiles.

And, finally, dedicated wreck explorers may want to save their Tainted Metal to acquire the Horrific Flesh-Helmet. Transform your appearance via the application of a flesh-hungry parasite.



Development Update

Update 3.05 is available now. Alongside the new spooky content and derelict freighter rebalance, the update includes a number of fixes and improvements. Full patch notes can be found below and a community log of recent missions and creations can be found here.

This year has been so busy for No Man’s Sky, with the release of five major updates – including the massive Origins – so we hope this Halloween update comes as a nice surprise! We’re not quite done with this year yet, and should have a bit more news to announce very soon.

Our journey continues.

Thank you so much,
Sean


3.05 Patch Notes

• Derelict freighters have been rebalanced for increased challenge.
  
• Low temperatures are more extreme, security systems are tougher and more efficient at locating intruders, aliens are more aggressive, and all hostile lifeforms are more difficult to defeat.
  
• Added the possibility of looting Quicksilver to derelict freighters. This will be available for the next few weeks.
  
  
• The scrap dealer on Space Stations now stocks a range of base parts, decals, banners and a Horrific Flesh-Helmet.
  
• The scrap dealer now trades in a new black market currency, Tainted Metal, which can be salvaged from derelict freighters.
  
• The scrap dealer also now stocks Repair Kits.
  
  
• Added two new player titles, which may be earned via in-game achievements and selected at the Appearance Modifier.
  
  
• Improved the notification icons shown when entering freighters and derelict freighters.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused hostile creatures to fall through the floor of derelict freighters.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused derelict freighter doors to take too long to open.
  
• Fixed an issue which could cause derelict freighter messages to linger after leaving the freighter without fully exploring it.
  
• Fixed an issue which caused the Lost in Space mission to linger after leaving a derelict freighter.
  
• Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause the guild envoy and scrap dealer rewards for completing a derelict freighter to be the wrong way around in Korvax systems.
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause derelict freighters to despawn if the player attempted to fix or install technology on their ship while at a distance.
  
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause aquatic fauna to be listed as “extinct” when discovered.
  
• Fixed an issue that could occasionally prevent creatures from spawning where or as often they should.
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause teleporters to display the wrong galaxy name for some early galaxies.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented the Exocraft mining laser from harvesting resources from terrain deposits.
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause freighter base parts to be unpowered when constructed in specific locations within the freighter.
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause weather effects to occur beyond the planetary atmosphere.
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause frigate expeditions to reward deprecated products.
  
  
• Introduced a memory-management optimisation and fixed a number of memory-related crashes on console.
  
• Fixed some rare crash issues.
  

Hello!

We are excited to announce the release of the latest major update to No Man’s Sky today. We’re calling it the ORIGINS update and it’s out now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC (including VR). Full patch notes are available here



It’s hard to believe that it’s been 4 years since we watched people all around the world wake up on their first planet in our near-infinite universe and embark on their voyage of exploration. That first planet might have been dangerous, barren, or teeming with life. For sure though, it would have been an intriguing alien world filled with curious flora and fauna, never seen before - not even by us, the developer.



That’s why it is so exciting to release Origins today. For the first time we are breathing new life and variety into that universe in a significant way, adding new worlds to explore, new planets never before seen, new life to discover.

For a surprising number of people, their voyage already has them spending hundreds and even thousands of hours journeying to the next horizon, the next planet, the next star system, propelled by the desire to see what was around the next corner. In fact that universe we created day one has already provided hundreds of millions of hours of entertainment across the globe.



No Man’s Sky has been updated over a dozen times since those early beginnings. The game has expanded in almost every direction to accommodate almost every play style: base building, VR, multiplayer, trading, community missions, exocraft, expanded lore... This year alone we have already introduced living ships, mechs, abandoned freighters and cross-platform play.

At No Man’s Sky’s core though, beats the heart of an experience which has never really lost its main existential purpose: a voyage of discovery, of exploration. For all the updates, the universe we have all been exploring together has largely remained untouched.



It is only fitting therefore that, for our major update of the year, and in the lineage of the larger annual updates of ATLAS RISES (2017), NEXT (2018) and BEYOND (2019), we return to that core principle.

But how do you radically change a universe where so many have made their homes, built elaborate bases, named and discovered their own planets?

Our solution is to birth entirely new planets into the universe, with vistas never possible before. Fly your Starship through towering mountains and epic chasms vastly larger than ever. Survive lightning storms, fires and hostile weather systems. Discover new creature behaviours like fauna that land and take to flight, or huge alien sandworms. Walk beneath new giant flora that changes from day through night. Visit buildings of an entirely new scale, containing new lore and much, much more.



Whether you’re a veteran traveller who has been to the centre of our universe and back before, or whether you’ve yet to take your first tentative step on that first planet, NO MAN’S SKY: ORIGINS represents a major moment in our journey so far. Why not come see what there is to discover?

Our journey continues.

Sean

Hello,

Next week Hello Games will be releasing an update to No Man’s Sky. We’re calling it "ORIGINS".

Detailed patch notes will follow, along with next week's release.



Four years ago we announced FOUNDATION, our first major update for No Man's Sky, we promised "It won't be our largest update, but it is the start of something". Those words were true at the time, and they ring true for Origins. We called it Origins because it is the beginning of something new, as No Man's Sky continues to grow and evolve.

BEYOND came out last year, bringing VR and hugely expanded Online play, and since then we have focused on releasing more regular updates. SYNTHESIS, BYTEBEAT, LIVING SHIP, EXO MECH, CROSSPLAY, and DESOLATION have been some of our most popular, surprising and transformative updates - leading No Man’s Sky to have its biggest year to date.

We know there is a huge appetite in the community for No Man's Sky content, and the team has worked our socks off this year to deliver in difficult circumstances. We have been quiet, but we are always listening and focusing on improving the game that our team loves and feels so passionately about.

This update will be another small step in a longer journey. We hope you can join us.

Thank you,
Sean

Hello,

Being a small dot amongst the stars can bring a sense of awe and wonder, but we've always wanted to explore a little more those feelings of fear and dread that come from being alone in the depths of space. Terror in the face of the unknown, or the dawning realisation that you're treading in the footsteps of those who met a lonely end at the edge of the universe - it's a rich science fiction tradition, and one not really touched on in No Man's Sky - until now.



The Desolation Update adds abandoned freighters to explore to No Man’s Sky, along with a very different style of gameplay. Alone or in groups, players can breach the airlock and explore the hazardous, procedurally generated, interiors of these derelict capital ships. The only trace of the crew is in logs they’ve left behind, a mix of procedurally generated and hand-written text that means each vessel has its own unique story for you to piece together.



The shattered interiors are also rich with salvage, including otherwise unobtainable upgrades for your own capital ship. Technology you retrieve still has the marks of the ship you took it from, meaning your own freighter will now reflect something of your journey.

But in the panic to flee the ship, hazardous items have spilled, defense systems have been scrambled and environment controls have begun to fail. Some vessels may even have been overrun by hostile alien lifeforms... You may want to take some friends along to increase your chances of making it out alive.



The Desolation update also brings improvements and balance changes to weapons and enemies for a faster, more dynamic combat experience. Weapon balance, effects and feel have been tweaked to provide not just a more engaging combat experience on these alien infested frigates, but across the game as well.



The full patch notes are here, and they contain a huge list of quality of life improvements too.

It has been extremely gratifying for us to see a huge number of new players flood into the game since we entered the GamePass program last month. It’s particularly exciting to know that, with the cross-play update, those players were finally able to join friends on other platforms. Unifying our community and all their in-game creations on one network was a phenomenal achievement by our small technical team. It’s been a real surprise too to see No Man’s Sky sitting above the likes of Red Dead as the most played game on GamePass.

As ever, the team has also continued to work on more updates. We have several more significant releases planned for the year, and we’re excited to share more news about them when the time comes.

Our journey continues.

Sean

Hello everyone,

Thank you to everyone playing the Crossplay Update, especially those taking the time to report any issues they encounter via Zendesk or console crash reporting.

We are listening closely to your feedback, and have identified and resolved a number of gameplay and stability issues. This patch, 2.52, is now live.

Patch Notes

• Fixed a number of crashes related to cross-platform matchmaking.
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause Space Station NPCs to become desynchronised.
  
• Fixed a network issue that could occur when looking up cross-platform profile data.
  
• Fixed a number of issues with Steam lobbies not correctly syncing between friends.
  
  
• Adding a friend from the Nearby Players list now requires a confirmation.
  
• The /invite command now works with cross-platform players.
  
• Improved the error messages used when text commands fail to work.
  
• Fixed some minor text issues in the chat messages that are displayed when joining or leaving a group.
  
• Fixed an issue with the text displayed on empty crossplay sessions on the multiplayer frontend.
  
• Improved the display of whisper messages.
  
  
• Fixed a number of issues relating to the network replication of creature bait.
  
• Players can no longer throw creature bait aboard the Space Anomaly.
  
  
• Fixed an issue that could caused Xbox-specific options to appear on other platforms.
  
• Fixed an Xbox-specific issue that caused several languages to default UK English.

We will continue to release patches as issues are identified and resolved. If you experience any issues, let us know by submitting a bug report.

Thank you,
Hello Games

Hello Everyone!

Over the last few months, alongside previous content updates like Living Ship and Exo Mech, we’ve been busily working on something else in secret.

Do you have a friend on another gaming system with whom you’ve always wanted to explore the great unknown? A legendary base you’ve seen videos of but never been able to visit? A mission that you think would be great to play with friends on other platforms?

We are excited to be able to announce that, starting tomorrow, PlayStation 4 players, Xbox One players and PC players will all be able to explore, journey, survive, build, and trade together. Excitingly, No Man’s Sky is joining what is at the moment a fairly small group of games which support cross-platform multiplayer.




A tremendous amount of work has gone into this update and the underlying technology and systems. We’ve moved to an entirely new networking architecture, with more flexibility for the future, allowing players to play together regardless of platform. I’m very proud of the team that has worked so hard to make this happen.

Meanwhile we are continuing to work hard on new content updates, large and small for the future.

Making No Man’s Sky available to vast new audiences, and allowing those audiences to come together, has been something we’ve been building towards for a long time. We’re lucky to have one of the nicest and most welcoming gaming communities there is, and it’s a delight to be able to allow them to play together. The big question is, who have you always wanted to play with?

Full patch notes are available here.

Our journey continues.

Sean