No Man’s Sky was under investigation for false advertising in the U.K., and it appears the region’s Advertising Standards Authority has cleared Hello Games of all wrongdoing concerning the screenshots and videos on the title’s Steam page. A full ASA report details the findings.
While players were eager to point out several of the “lies” surrounding No Man’s Sky since its release, the ASA has essentially denied almost all of the individual complaints surrounding Steam. As we detailed in September, accusations had been made regarding advertised features, such as tall buildings, large-scale space battles and complex fractions, that reportedly didn’t exist. The investigation was based on 10 individual charges, and Hello Games has been acquitted of every single one.
While the defense itself is lengthy, the general argument by Hello Games is that some players may not see everything advertised on the page because No Man’s Sky is conducted by a very specific formula. If the player does not meet the requirements for the features to occur amongst 18 quintillion planets, they simply won’t happen. In specific, Hello Games “believed it was fairly straightforward to locate content of the type shown in the ad and to demonstrate that such content was commonly experienced by all users who played NMS for an average period of time.” Ergo, the point is made that those targeting the developer had possibly not spent enough time with the game to evaluate it firmly.
The acquittals came in a few different flavors. In the case of buildings, space combat, ship behaviors, animal behaviors and trade convoys, footage was provided that replicated everything shown in the ad. Complaints over graphics and load times were resolved because the ads were made using a PC that met Steam’s average specs for advertising purposes. In fact, the commercialized footage was 30 fps when many hardcore gamers might be able to push 60 fps on their machines.
However, that doesn’t mean there were no inconsistencies to be found. The ASA did mention alterations to interface items, animals moving large trees and water reflections that didn’t match the actual gameplay experience. It was further discerned that none of these tiny elements should impact an average player’s stance on the product. As for factions, they exist with tension and territory. The feature just isn’t as deep as some would like.
The controversy surrounding No Man’s Sky has been percolating since August, but the ASA has ruled that its PC Steam page has little to do with those issues. In other words, while Hello Games may have embellished the truth with regard to many of the game’s promised aspects, this probe didn’t delve into those matters.
This favorable news for the No Man’s Sky creators is yet another example of what has proven to be a pretty great week for Hello Games. The title’s recent Foundation Update, which adds base building, difficulty tiers and NPC recruits, has been received positively by fans as well. Months without communication spewed increased hatred, and, for the moment, some of that vitriol has subsided.
No Man’s Sky is available now on PS4 and PC.
Do you think Hello Games got off easy with its false advertising probe? Has the Foundation Update changed your views on the title? Tell us in the comments section!
