No Man’s Sky studio Hello Games has lost another loyal staff member. After more than two years with the Guildford, U.K. developer, Senior Programmer Harry Denholm amicably quit his duties. General burnout appears to be one reason for the departure.
Denholm tweeted yesterday that “after 2 1/2 years being strapped to the NMS freight-train, I'm off to go sit in the dark and push my thumbs into my eyes.” When asked if the split ended on good terms, he replied in the affirmative. “for sure! My batteries are depleted, though. I need to go take better care of myself for awhile,” he added.
Goodbye Hello. After 2 1/2 years being strapped to the NMS freight-train I'm off to go sit in the dark and push my thumbs into my eyes
— Harry Denholm (@HarryDenholm) January 30, 2017
With that said, there’s no mention of where Denholm will be going next. He currently runs his own indie studio called Reason And Nightmare and has taken on extensive roles at other game development studios like Lionhead and NaturalMotion. When it comes to No Man’s Sky, he worked on the game’s engine, Galactic Map, audio engineering and network services.
@chaosmonaut @MatasVasylius for sure! my batteries are depleted though, I need to go take better care of myself for a while.
— Harry Denholm (@HarryDenholm) January 30, 2017
Given the project’s rocky pre and post-launch periods, it makes sense for this critical team member to feel a bit exhausted. Beyond creating and shipping one of the biggest games ever made, all members of Hello Games’ small group had to endure rampant player criticism, lawsuits and seemingly never-ending negativity. That tide has started to turn slightly since the release of the Foundation Update in November.
Despite the unusual work climate in which No Man’s Sky was produced, however, it’s worth noting that Denholm’s actions aren’t that uncommon for the games industry in general. Once any project finishes the bulk of its development, those involved routinely seek out other types of work to expand their creative horizons. The same was likely true for a designer that left Hello last year to work on Star Citizen. While updates to No Man’s Sky are planned for the future, fewer employees are required to build upon that existing framework.
Hello Games has been actively posting the exciting finds of its fans on social media, but there’s currently no indication of when the next No Man’s Sky patch will be available. There’s been light speculation about a possible PS4 Pro update, but nothing official has been announced.
No Man’s Sky is available now on PS4 and PC.
Should we be concerned that Hello Games keeps losing staff members? Will there be any more big updates to No Man’s Sky? Tell us in the comments section!
