I think it's safe to say that no video game has been embroiled in as much controversy in 2016 as No Man's Sky. With sky-high expectations and questionable marketing (for the record, Hello Games was today cleared of false-advertising charges), many people felt as though they were sold something different from what they bought. This controversy has been covered ad nauseum by every major and minor gaming website imaginable, including us.
Yet, just when I literally stuck a fork in No Man's Sky, declaring it the biggest 'Turkey' of 2016, they started showing vigorous signs of life. A huge new update combined with a 40% off sale created a perfect storm that rained down new players, reigning thousands of new owners and players.
Last week, when I wrote that article, No Man's Sky had around 500 concurrent players at any given time, according to Steam. Torday, that number has rocket blasted to more than 6,000. No Man's Sky was a good 2,000 to 3,000 players out of being listed on Steam's Top 100 Player Count list. Now it's in the top 50.
SteamSpy paints an even more favorable picture, showing 7,000+ new players in the last two weeks, as well as tens of thousands of new owners. It seems despite the negative cloud created by both players and the media, gamers are still willing to hear Hello Games out. For now, even the recent reviews on Steam are still Mostly Negative, but that may change in the coming month, as that designation only updates every 30 days.
Whether or not these newfound players are here to stay is another matter, but, if Hello Games is sincere in their commitment to make the lives of their players better, count me in.
