No Man’s Sky is the game that seems to be divided into two camps, those that love Hello Games ambitious title and those that feel incredibly let down by it. Either way, there is a currently an investigation by the Advertising Standards Agency into the differences between how it was being promoted and what was delivered.
Due to the various places that No Man’s Sky has been promoted in and out of Hello Games control the Advertising Standards Agency is focusing on one particular location, Steam. This was apparently because it is still one of the most active websites for No Man’s Sky as well as covering the issues raised in various complaints. Due to focusing on the Steam page, Valve as the storefront, have also been dragged into proceedings.
The investigation covers various aspects of advertising for each part of No Man’s Sky. Videos and screenshots form the bulk of the complaints, with a smaller mention of the written content. Size and behaviour of creatures and sentinels make up five points, with a focus on “in herds; destroying scenery; in water; reacting to surroundings”. From the store page the video with the giant space rhino crashing through the trees would appear to be the most likely source for comparison.
Ship and NPC behaviour being radically different are also singled out for attention, with a focus on the formations, “wingman” and flying close to the ground, the latter able to be modded into the game. There’s also references to trade convoys between stars and the factions vying for territory, parts that seem to be missing from the final game. The rest is made up of loading screens, graphical quality, aiming systems and flowing water.
Hello Games has been asked to prove that what they have shown actually exists within No Man’s Sky. Even though, the Advertising Standards Agency is focusing on the Steam page, the final outcome will have repercussions across any media that Hello Games controls, such as their website and YouTube channel.
