No Man’s Sky NEXT will land on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 24th. Hello Games Founder Sean Murray announced as much when he appeared on the latest Inside Xbox show episode. He also confirmed that the update (free for those who already own the game on PC and PlayStation 4, included with the upcoming Xbox One release) will finally introduce proper multiplayer support, as hinted by the leaked box art.
A blog post also appeared on Xbox Wire, where Murray shared the following statement.
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We’ve been playtesting multiplayer for the last six months, and the game has evolved into a very new experience that we think the community will enjoy.
For example, you’ll be able to explore the universe with your friends or bump into random travelers. You can help friends to stay alive, or prey on others to survive. Tiny shelters or complex colonies that you build as a team are shared for all players. Fight as a pirate or a wingman in epic space battles with friends and enemies. Race exocraft across weird alien terrains, creating race tracks and trails to share online.
That’s always been the potential I think everyone could see in what we were making, it’s been a lot of hard work, but thanks to the team and the community we are so glad to finally able to make it a reality.
The lack of proper multiplayer functionality was one of the biggest reasons for disappointment when the game originally launched in 2016. No Man’s Sky NEXT could mark a complete turnaround for Hello Games when it lands, right in the middle of the Summer and with no major releases nearby.
