No Man's Sky has been heavily anticipated by fans, so it's not surprising that many opted to order the game in limited edition boxes. However, the boxes appeared to be hiding something, obscured by stickers on the packaging.
In a post, an anonymous owner shared before and after images of a limited edition box to show not just a different PEGI rating, but also an icon indicating that the game has "online play" features.
There are many things not clear about No Man's Sky, and what exactly "online play" is will just add to that. At the very least, it's not co-op play, because Hello Games has already stressed that the game does not support the multiplayer experience.
What it can do is accommodate hundreds of players at the same time. No Man's Sky does have more than 18 quintillion planets to offer. Just how big is the game's universe, then? Just know that it won't be possible to explore every last inch of it in a lifetime.
Does online play mean, then, that the game simply requires internet access? That too is unclear.
It's easy for imaginations to run wild here, but the likeliest reason for the cover-up is that Hello Games had printed the limited edition boxes earlier than the standard offering. Because they were printed earlier, the limited edition boxes don't accurately reflect what No Man's Sky has become, hence the stickers.
According to the sticker, the game has a PEGI 7 rating and warns for mild violence. When the sticker is removed, it reveals a PEGI 12 rating, a warning for mild violence and the online play icon.
While this certainly gives players a glimpse of what Hello Games had intended for No Man's Sky, it could also hold clues as to what the future will be like for the game.
The first day after the game was released, two players had already met on the same planet but were not able to see each other. According to Hello Games' Sean Murray, it should've taken longer, but the meeting is nonetheless exciting. As to why the players were not able to see each other, he said that it's possibly an issue with the players' internet connection.
Already, 10 million species have been discovered by players. Like with planets, players are given the privilege of naming species they have discovered. The names they provide are shown for other players to see.
No Man's Sky has been released for the PlayStation 4. It will launch worldwide for PC on Aug. 12.
