This is what happens, people. When you go around on TV talk shows and doing magazine interview after magazine interview about how ambitious and amazing and genre defying your video game will be instead of focusing all that time and energy on MAKING IT. You pull a Molyneaux and end up getting so hated on when not delivering the product you promised that enough people complain and you end up cutting your own throat. Had the team behind No Man’s Sky quietly made their game, made no promises, and delivered it, there would be no problem now, but there is. So much so, in fact, the team behind No Man’s Sky are being investigated in the U.K for unfair and dishonest advertising practices used to trick people into buying a product that was not what it promised. I personally think the U.S should follow-lead.

From PC Gamer:

I can’t speak about other countries, but in the UK [there] are regulations about providing advertising material that could mislead a consumer in some way—[for example] displaying things that do not, in fact, exist,” says AzzerUK. “The ASA say they have received a number of complaints, and so the points below are not necessarily all related to things I personally took issue with, but are the issues they have picked out at the most clear-cut problems from amongst all complaints.”

So there you have it. The end result of their own hype machine. It may end up eating them alive, and deservedly so. I will admit, this whole No Man’s Sky thing almost makes me want to quit writing for this field. Truth is, I was just as hyped as all the other media because of this team’s promises (yes I am NOT naming the team or the developers behind the actual game in this article on purpose as I do not want dishonest assholes to get any more press) and I helped hype YOU cats up, which in turn, let you down. I’m sorry for any part I had in that.

I know it seems small, but for me, it feels like a kick in the dick. I don’t like misleading people because I was misled. Makes me feel like I was played as you were you, as opposed to their actual fucking game. Now here’s hoping they get held accountable so this sort of thing cannot happen again. Real developers make games and then release them with no hype needed. Just look at how close to the release date it was when we saw the first trailer for GTA V. You just shut the fuck up, make an awesome product, then release it and let IT speak for itself. THAT is how you do it.

Problem is, all developers wanna be actual rock stars now, and Rockstar are ironically the last true developer. That says it all.