‘No Man’s Sky’ Draws Ire Of UK Ad Watchdog

Hello Games is continuing its current tactic of staying silent with regards to the bitter disappointment that a small part of the gaming community is feeling about “No Man’s Sky,” but it might have to come out soon. The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK is currently investigating the studio for alleged misleading marketing tactics by not delivering on certain promised features.

Eurogamer confirmed the investigation by the agency after speaking to the ASA, noting that the watchdog group acted after it received a ton of complaints regarding the indie title by Hello Games. By now, it’s already well-known that Murray oversold “No Man’s Sky” by a mile and a half. That the studio hasn’t been sued yet is the real mystery.

As to what will happen if Hello Games is found to have misled customers, the agency could pull out any advertisement material the company has in the country as well as prevent future ads from running. If the company doesn’t comply, the ASA could then punish them with sanctions such as having their websites removed from search engine lists.

The list of the complaints by players to the ASA was posted on Reddit by a user who claims to have gotten a response from the agency.  Some of the issues mentioned include the difference between the user interface in the trailers and the game, missing assets such as flowing water, and more variety in creature behavior.

Most damning for Hello Games, however, is the missing multiplayer aspect of “No Man’s Sky.” During his PR tour, Murray clearly stated that players would be able to meet other players if they were lucky enough to come across each other in the near-infinite expanse of the universe. Just days after the game’s release, this claim was proven false. Murray and the studio have been silent ever since.