"Looking back, I think I had the equivalent of a midlife career crisis. What is the point of these games? Like, Joe Danger -- how impactful is it?"
- Hello Games' Sean Murray
In a new profile of No Man's Sky developer Hello Games, lead developer Sean Murray talks to the New Yorker about his aspirations and creative process for the game -- offering an in-depth look behind the making of the anticipated title.
His comments in the interview range from practical decisions (such as why the game doesn't have fall damage -- "We didn’t want you to break your legs and get hurt. It is about exploring. We didn’t want people feeling nervous") to its obvious appeal with consumers ("I think that one of the reasons No Man’s Sky resonates is that, at a very reductive level, it’s bright -- it’s colorful, vibrant.") Far from being superficial, the article even covers the algorithm that the team uses to generate the game's terrain.
The article also touches on Murray's fears, some of which arise from the complications of working with a publisher -- in this case, Sony, which has promoted the game heavily since its announcement at E3 last year.
"The biggest worry for me is that we release the game because of all the momentum behind it before we are happy with it," Murray tells The New Yorker.
Overall, it's a compelling bit of reading that successfully pulls back the curtain on an intriguing game that hasn't even yet been released.