'No Man's Sky' News: Devs Announce the 'NEXT' Update, Billed as the 'Biggest' One So Far
Fans now trying to figure out what the 'NEXT' update will add to the game
Ever since its issue-plagued launch in August of 2016, "No Man's Sky" has received plenty of support from its developers.
The "Foundation" update released back in the latter part of 2016 brought features such as base building, farming and freighters to the game while also introducing numerous quality-of-life upgrades.
A few months after that, the developers released "Path Finder," and this update introduced features including planetary vehicles, more shops and traders, additional weapon modes, starship-focused additions, photo mode and even permadeath mode.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Then, in the most recent "Atlas Rises" update, developers added a new, main storyline, changes to the game's economy and trade system, more worlds and ships as well as the joint exploration feature.
There are still gamers out there who are unhappy with the game not having some promised features on launch day, but it's fair to say that the game has certainly improved significantly since then.
Now, developers have plotted out the next checkpoint for their journey with this game, as they announced just recently that they have another massive update in the works.
Detailed in a new post on the game's official website, director Sean Murray revealed that they are working a new update for the game, one which will be called "NEXT." Murray shared that they named the update as such because "it's an important next step on a longer journey for us and the community."
Murray then teased that this "NEXT" update is going to be the "biggest" one they have released to date, and that is notable because the previous updates that have already gone live are substantial content drops.
Murray stopped short of revealing which features will be included in "NEXT," though there are some screenshots teasing it, and those can be seen in this report from The Verge.
It didn't take long for "No Man's Sky" players to start speculating about what "NEXT" could add to the game.
Over on Reddit, some players are guessing that this update will add a more substantial multiplayer element, one that improves upon the joint exploration feature included in "Atlas Rises."
Other fans are hinting that "NEXT" could do something bigger.
Instead of just adding to the game, there are fans who are thinking that this upcoming update could essentially overhaul the entire game, effectively turning it into something new just in time for its debut on more platforms.
It really wouldn't be that surprising if the developers did indeed go down that overhaul route now that they are planning to make the game available on Xbox One and WeGame, the Tencent Chinese platform.
In any case, the fans who already own this game don't need to worry about ponying up for "NEXT," as the update will be released for free.
Furthermore, even after the release of "NEXT," Murray indicated that they will still continue to release updates for the game.
Developers have a lot of work ahead of them, and fans have a lot to look forward to. It shouldn't take that long for fans to start hearing more about "NEXT," as the update is due out for "No Man's Sky" sometime this summer.
