No Man’s Sky’s late review embargo doesn’t mean the game is bad

The No Man’s Sky review embargo is 4am BST, Tuesday, August 9. No Man’s Sky releases in the US on Tuesday, August 9. We are receiving review code on Monday, August 8 – which is in line with what we’ve heard from others. Alarm bells are probably ringing – not that they haven’t already been blaring pretty loudly for some of you. The thing is, while in some cases a review embargo this close to release may well be cause for concern, equally there are other, less sensational, reasons to consider.

Although No Man’s Sky was finished (in terms of ‘going gold’) on July 7, the team at Hello Games immediately started work on what is now referred to in the industry as a Day 1 Update. We don’t know what this fixes or adds to the game, but we do know that on August 3 the studio tweeted to say they were wrapping up work on that update.

No Man’s Sky has been in development for a long time. There’s every reason to believe Hello Games wants to make sure the press are playing the version of the game that includes the improvements added in the Day 1 Update, rather than risk receiving coverage based on an inferior version of the game.

The update will need to go through certification, so it’s not simply a case of tapping out the final fix inside the Hello Games office, then immediately sending it live. It takes time, and there isn’t much of that between August 3 and August 9. No Man’s Sky is Hello Games’ baby, which they’ve worked with Sony on. If the team want to hold press access until the game is in the state they are happy with, that’s their choice.

Maybe – and I know that in this modern age people are more willing than ever to read everything about something before experience it themselves – Hello Games wants spoilers about the No Man’s Sky experience kept to a minimum. Yes, people have been playing it and posting impressions for a week or so, but it’s easy to avoid at the moment. Unleash it to us, the video games press, and there will probably be an in-depth analysis of every cool moment posted online before most people have seen their first procedurally created creature.

And even if neither of those reasons are why coverage is being held until the game is practically out, it doesn’t mean the game isn’t good. Just look at Doom, a game that turned out to be excellent despite code going out to press on day of release. If you’re unsure, you don’t have to pre-order the game or buy the game on day one. Just wait a bit. The general consensus on No Man’s Sky’s quality will be clear by midway through launch week.

Review embargoes are bad when they result in consumers being unable to make informed buying decisions when a game is in stores, but it’s not necessarily a sign of doom and gloom. With video games becoming more and more complex, changes brought about by patches can make a big difference. And an increasing amount of money riding on a game’s success means making an excellent first impression is essential. Just don’t assume that means the product is bad. Even if it might be.