LogInHello Games boss Sean Murray revealed a few details about the 4.0 update for No Man's Sky, shared his initial apprehensions regarding the Switch port, and explained why they eventually vanished.
This Friday, October 7, will see the launch of the Switch version of No Man's Sky alongside the release of the major 4.0 update for the game. In the anticipation of these new releases, Hello Games head Sean Murray shared some details on the update and discussed his apprehensions regarding No Man's Sky's Switch port.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Murray shared that as with previous updates the new number coincides with the addition of a new platform where No Man's Sky is available. For instance, update 2.0 came out when the game was ported to Xbox, 3.0 coincided with the release for VR, and 4.0 is released alongside the Switch port.
However, according to the studio head, the upcoming update will significantly differ from previous major updates. Murray explained that updates 2.0 and 3.0 were "huge updates in terms of content", while update 4.0 will bring substantial changes to "the more design-heavy elements" of the game including balance, difficulty, and structure.
"You've probably had this experience where you've come to a game where it's been updated a tonne and… sometimes those [elements] don't fit as cohesively as you'd like," Murray said. "We hear this sometimes, and I think it's true… and so what we've done [in 4.0] is we've revisited a bunch of things that are really impactful from the design perspective."
According to Murray, update 4.0 will feature "lots of streamlining in terms of the tutorial" that will also extend to the game's inventory system.
In addition, it will add No Man's Sky's first new game modes since the release of Creative and Survival in 2016's Foundation update, including a new Relaxed mode that is set to focus on exploration rather than surviving and grinding. The update will also introduce an overhauled Survival mode as well as tools for custom games.
Speaking of the Switch version release, Murray shared that he, like a number of No Man's Sky fans, was a bit skeptical about the decision to port the game to the console. He explained that first, he was "unsure as to whether [No Man's Sky] was suited for mobile play."
"I've played long-form games [on Switch before] but, generally, it's hard to know how much of the rest of the world is like me – is it more focused on shorter, more mobile experience, more drop in, drop out or whatever?" Murray said.
You can learn more about No Man's Sky Switch version, update 4.0, the studio's future plans, and more by reading the full interview with Sean Murray here.
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