"No Man's Sky" has been turning heads since its reveal in 2013, with extensive gameplay previews, interviews, and game mechanics discussions only further whetting space sim fans' appetites. The game was originally set to be released last month on June 21, but was delayed to August - an announcement that earned Sean Murray, founder of the game's developer Hello Games, several death threats over social media.
Now, just earlier today, Murray tweeted that "No Man's Sky" has finally gone gold, meaning that the game has finished development and is ready for mass duplication in game discs and via online distribution. The game had been in development for some four years now, and had been characterized by a troubled production cycle highlighted by the near total loss of the team's Guildford office and work in 2013 due to the Christmas Eve floods.
From its beginnings as a relatively unknown title with a bit of coverage from the media, "No Man's Sky" has become one of the most anticipated releases in recent memory, transforming into a mascot of sorts for the capabilities of the PlayStation 4, as well as notably being part of a renewal of interest in the space simulation genre that includes other titles like "Elite: Dangerous" and "Star Citizen."
The "No Man's Sky" game features an enormous procedurally-generated universe that features over 18 quintillion planets which would take over 5 billion years to explore, seamless transition from spaceflight to planetary exploration, and a huge variety of alien races, flora and fauna, and star systems to uncover and interact with.
"No Man's Sky" is primarily single-player, with a limited opportunity to meet and interact with other players who share the universe, though this is not the focus of the experience.
"No Man's Sky" will be released simultaneously on PlayStation 4 and PC on August 9, 2016.
