No Man’s Sky post-release drama continues as PC players have apparently rallied against Hello Games and Steam for false advertising. A recent Reddit thread puts forth the allegations.
While largely unconfirmed, the source post suggests that the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Agency, or ASA, has begun a probe into how the game was presented to PC players. After contacting the organization about the issue, the accuser was supposedly told there had been about a dozen complaints leveraged against the title and that there were a variety of aspects being analyzed. Among them were misrepresentation listings for user interface design, ship flying behaviors, animal herding, large-scale space combat, buildings, water, load times and graphics quality.
It’s important to note that the above allegations only apply to No Man’s Sky’s Steam page right now, but, if found guilty of false advertising, Hello Games and Sony may be forced to amend some of the game’s other marketing materials as well. This is an ASA clause in which proven cases are “cross-applicable.” As a result, any marketing copy, whether it be trailers, screenshots or interviews, must be altered if they also advertise any of the above-listed features outside the Steam page.
Of course, those anticipating swift legal action for No Man’s Sky’s pitfalls may want to manage their expectations. Organizations like the ASA are often inundated with cases and can only allocate time and energy to certain ones. Even if there have been a dozen false advertising reports in this particular instance, it likely pales in comparison to some of the larger situations that are currently ongoing. Sony, Steam and Hello Games could also provide contrary evidence to refute the claims as well. Realistically, expect slow progress or none at all.
This ASA debacle is yet another detraction from an already rocky launch for No Man’s Sky. Shortly after the game’s PS4 release, it was very apparent that some previously advertised features didn’t make it to the final game. Most obvious among those was the scrapping of true multiplayer support. On PC specifically, performance issues continue to make the game borderline unplayable on some systems. Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida recently slammed the developers for not properly taking advantage of PR to combat these shortcomings.
No Man’s Sky is available now on PS4 and PC.
Is No Man’s Sky truly an example of false advertising at work? Are Hello Games, Sony and Steam at fault? Tell us in the comments section!
