It's easy to look at some indie survival titles like No Man's Sky and Subnautica and connect the surface level similarities, with one game standing out as the "better" version of the other. However, more often than not, the comparisons between Subnautica to other sci-fi games like Breathedge or No Man's Sky can miss some of the most important aspects of each game and the build-up and fallout of their releases.
In the case of No Man's Sky and Subnautica in particular, the similarities between the two games along with the differences in the public opinion of both can say a lot about transparent release schedules and early access. So, the best place to start might be the initial release of No Man's Sky, along with the impressive work to keep the game constantly growing since 2016, as well as the fan-feedback Unknown Worlds Entertainment used during the early years of Subnautica.
No Man's Sky's Initial Promises
Much of the public outlook of No Man's Sky starts and ends with the early promises of multiplayer and eighteen-quintillion unique planets. The major issues comes down to the way that the game launched without multiplayer, among other key features, that ultimately lead to misleading and misrepresentative information. As a result, players in 2016 quickly ripped apart both No Man's Sky and Hello Games for the misrepresentation of what would be available at launch. The developer followed up with an extended public silence before eventual updates changed the game.
It should be noted that while this all painted an unimpressive picture of Hello Games, as well as some key developers who had become the faces of No Man's Sky, there is a lot about development behind the scenes that the general public will likely never know. Many of the promised features may have been intended to be added in later updates, or PR and marketing may have pushed too hard on the hype train in order to better temper expectations. Whatever the case was, this all led to the 2016 release of No Man's Sky becoming a cautionary tale for other developers, and Hello Games has put in considerable effort to rebuild the game into what was promised.
Next, Beyond, and the Ongoing Future of No Man's Sky
Most recent to the updates coming to No Man's Sky is the Prism update, which acts mostly as a graphical overhaul, but also added some new creatures and ships for players to find across the universe. However, in the years since the game's initial release, there have been a number of foundational updates with titles like Next and Beyond, two of the most popular overhauls thus far. These have added entire new storylines, base building mechanics, and of course, the multiplayer that had been advertised as a selling point from the initial launch.
The result is that No Man's Sky in 2021 is a completely different experience than it was in 2016; not only matching the original promises from that early hype, but exceeding those older intentions in many ways. Multiple questlines give players so much to do that some fans run into over-choice, like when flipping through for the next show or movie to stream on Netflix or Disney Plus. Considering the lack of interest in jumping from star system to star system in 2016, this is a much better problem for fans to have, especially after having stuck with Hello Games for so long.
Subnautica's Early Access with Outreach for Fan Feedback
On the opposite end of the spectrum for an indie survival title, Subnautica has had one of the most open and transparent development cycles than most games. Starting out in Early Access, developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment took fan feedback with every step of the process, leading the original game to its launch. Then, after the official release of Subnautica 1.0, Below Zero also started out with much of the development happening at a surface level, with fans guiding the way.
From the very beginning, fans were asked to submit feedback as alpha and beta builds were released, and that channel is still open between players and Unknown Worlds to this day. Even with the release of the sequel Subnautica: Below Zero, and the original game moving to PS5, the developer is still openly communicating with fans about how to best improve the series moving forward. Exactly what moving forward might mean after the end of the sequel is still up in the air, but there is still plenty to be done to best keep up with fan expectations and delivering on requested quality of life improvements.
Where No Man's Sky and Subnautica Stand Now Among Fans
Diehard fans of either Subnautica or No Man's Sky each stand by their respective games, and many players are fans of both. However, when it comes to the public perception of the two, outside of their playerbases, Subnautica will often come out on top as a result of Unknown Worlds' consistent communication with those fans. While No Man's Sky's updates, and the transparency that has come following those foundational improvements, have brought players back around, the stigma still stands with many players that never gave the game a chance after the initial fallout.
Many fans of the now-epic space-sim will often claim that there are three types of opinions revolving around No Man's Sky: fans that love the current build of the game, players that gave up back in 2016, and onlookers that never picked it up. Of course, there are players that still might not be impressed with the current state of No Man's Sky, or others that prefer it before all the extra features were added. However, the consensus is that Hello Games has mostly fixed the initial problems from launch. Interestingly enough, looking at the post-launch development, it's possible that a different approach could have saved face for No Man's Sky and Hello Games.
Early Access Could Have Saved No Man's Sky's Launch
There are plenty of games that have given Early Access as a concept a good name, and plenty that have made the practice look like a half measure to rush out an unfinished game without any intent to fix prevailing issues. For Unknown Worlds, the several graphical overhauls, consistent story additions, and developer communication with players proved to make Subnautica one of the best examples of Early Access. Considering that communication and allowing the hype before launch get out of hand was No Man's Sky's biggest problem in 2016, it's possible that taking the Early Access route could have kept the game's public perception intact.
The label of Early Access comes with an amount of leeway from fans, a certain benefit of doubt that some games are able to use to grow and others sometimes use as a crutch to stay broken. Some of the glitches and lack of quality of life that persist with Unknown Worlds' flagship title are actually a great example of this, as players are more willing to either forgive the errors, or mod certain features into Subnautica themselves. Many of these issues can also be found in No Man's Sky, but the impact of both major and minor glitches, as well as the initial 2016 launch might have all been avoided with the freedom that comes with Early Access. In the case of Hello Games, this added time after Early Access could have also tempered the hype and given the developer the time necessary to properly implement every promised feature with the eventual v1.0 down the line.
No Man's Sky is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Subnautica is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.