No Man’s Sky Xbox One Launch Date, Multiplayer Update Announced

No Man’s Sky is still alive. The space-exploration sim launches on Xbox One on July 24. Along with the release of the Xbox One version, the NEXT update brings multiplayer for the first time to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC for free, according to developer Hello Games.

Hello Games founder Sean Murray said in a statement:

Multiplayer completely changes the No Man’s Sky experience, it’s emergent, fun and intense in ways we always wanted it to be. I’m so happy this is finally happening. It is genuinely exciting to be able to fully realize the potential so many people could see in No Man’s Sky. This will be our biggest update yet and we’re pumped to be bringing Xbox players along on the journey with us now too.

Previous updates to the game (Foundation, Pathfinder and Atlas Rises) will launch with the Xbox One version of the game, along with the NEXT update. While these updates did have some multiplayer options like sharing bases, vehicles and materials with other players, as well as communication through voice chat and text with players in close proximity, players had no way to directly interact with one another.

Now, players will get the full multiplayer experience. According to Hello Games, the following features are coming to the NEXT update:

•Explore the infinite universe with your friends, or bump into random travelers.
•As you voyage together, friends will help you stay alive, or prey on others to survive.
•Build bases from tiny shelters to complex colonies that you create as a team and can be seen by the community.
•Be a pirate or a wingman in epic space battles with friends and foes
•Race exocraft across weird alien terrains, create tracks to share online

Hello Games fell into a bit of trouble with fans excited for the release of No Man’s Sky on the PlayStation 4 and PC when the game didn’t deliver on some expected features, with the lack of multiplayer being the main contention among players. Several updates have gone on to add to the gameplay but for many the game is still colored by the vocal disappointment over its initial release. Others found great beauty in its vastness and mystery, though; it was number seven on Paste’s list of the best games of 2016.

Watch Hello Games’ Sean Murray talk about the Xbox One version and the NEXT update below.