After probably one of the quietest years in post-release game development, Hello Games has announced Atlas Rises, a long-awaited update to No Man's Sky. It is set for release on or near the anniversary of the game's deployment on August 9, 2016 for PlayStation 4 and PC/Steam. The free update aims to improve the story and will allow players to "quick travel" throughout the game universe.
Murray begins the letter by saying that, though the company has been quiet, it has been listening intently. The year has been spent working "hard on free updates for this game our team cares about so much".
The announcement came after folks around the world received mysterious packages that led to a drawn out ARG called "Waking Titan" (detailed on Reddit). Once it was solved, the earliest details of Atlas Rising were announced.
We wanted to reach out and celebrate the devoted community that means so much to us. We launched Waking Titan to try to do that.
When we posted those cassettes we didn't know what to expect. In the last eight weeks a quarter of a million players from across the globe (174 countries, to be precise!) have come together - united by a shared love of mystery and science fiction - to form the Citizen Science Division. You’ve travelled great distances both real and virtual, undertaken complex tasks, and explored the depths of simulation theory. New friendships have been forged, and a tight-knit community has been created. Most importantly a cute hamster has a new home.
You've become part of the No Man's Sky origin story.
It's been an honour to watch, but this is just the beginning. Whether you’ve followed Waking Titan or not, we welcome anyone to sign up to the Citizen Science Division, and to join us on the official CSD forums. Our journey continues.
While no firm release is announced, it's a pretty sure bet it will happen this week. It's worth keeping eyes on the No Man's Sky site or on its Steam page.
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