5 Dying Games Saved by Hail Mary Publisher Moves
No Man’s Sky
While No Man’s Sky’s exploration-focused gameplay was enjoyed by many when it initially launched in August 2016, a lot of players felt let down after expecting a varied and more exciting space epic.
Just two months after the game released, it was averaging less than 1000 concurrent players on Steam and that number rarely increased over the next 18 months. However, the NEXT update that came alongside the game’s Xbox One release completely turned things around.
Fans hadn’t given up on No Man’s Sky and the NEXT update added elements that they’d been crying out for. Full multiplayer functionality and a more focused story made the game feel more complete than it had ever done before.
The update’s release had such an effect that the Steam concurrent player figures reached the highest point they’d been since the game’s first week on sale, taking it back into the top 10. Also, even now, No Man’s Sky is proving more popular that it was in almost the entire two years before.
