Some may not remember it well now, but No Man's Sky had an utterly disastrous launch back in August 2016. After much hype, the released game proved quite disappointing to critics and fans alike. The Metascore average for the PC version is still sitting at just 61/100 (which is labeled as 'Mixed or Average' on Metacritic), and fans were also quite critical in their user reviews on Steam.
One month after the game's debut, No Man's Sky was even investigated by the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority after many complaints from British customers. The game was cleared of any wrongdoings on that count a few months later, but the mixed reception lingered.
Still, independent developer Hello Games embarked on a journey to deliver their true vision for the game. Year after year, they delivered dozens of major free updates, adding new features, content, and improvements in all areas, slowly winning back the respect and even admiration of gamers worldwide. In September 2021, five years after that fateful launch, No Man's Sky's overall user review score turned from 'Mixed' to 'Mostly Positive'.
Now, the game has reached another milestone, having finally moved from 'Mostly Positive' to 'Very Positive'. Game director Sean Murray, who also manages the official social media channels, wrote on X:
Holy shit you guys - it happened
Read more on wccftech.com