“No Man’s Sky” has deteriorated in terms of player base and consumer confidence to a point of devastation, but not to a point of no return. The procedurally generated universe is admittedly one that I have not yet visited- but my case to the reader is that this makes me more objective. I haven’t first hand felt the disappointment of the absence of a long awaited open cosmos simulation, but I grasp the concept and look forward to the potential as much as anyone has. I don’t think this game has to fall into obscurity. Even if it is a disappointment of the highest order as it stands now, the not so polished expanses of space still provide fertile ground for a groundbreaking experience. Here is how I think “No Man’s Sky” can be saved, EVEN IF Hello Games does absolutely nothing:
This situation is a call to arms for mod experts and independent developers everywhere. Hear me out on this- for PC gamers in particular, mods have become a giant part of the lifecycle of games. Allowing players to see each other and share ships to explore together alone is a big step.
If we use our imaginations a bit, we can foresee a massively multiplayer living and breathing open universe where players can create their own societies, craft space stations and planetary civilizations to share with each other, knit interwoven networks of complex trade systems with a universal currency and galactic stock markets, and much, much more. Imagine hundreds of mod creators bringing the potential they have to bear on the game and converging them when compatible. Even if Hello Games does nothing, the community can still take things into its own hands.
If the community at least starts to go this route, it might signal to Hello Games that there is still enough interest to warrant continued dedication to the game despite the opportunity cost of going elsewhere.
In conclusion, I think it would really be a shame if we didn’t take advantage of the opportunity this game provides. It may be that I am star struck (pun intended) by the notion of an exploratory multiplayer game of cosmic proportions (again, pun intended). However, I don't think I have come to a conclusion based on wishful thinking. On the contrary, the ingenuity of the gaming community can not only supplement the industry, but succeed where the industry fails. I have seen it happen before, and I really hope lighting can strike for "No Man’s Sky" in the form of an unrivaled revival.
