No Man’s Sky Brings In Sci-Fi Heavy Hitters to Round Out In-Game Lore
The much-anticipated open-world exploration space sim No Man’s Sky has brought in prominent comic book writer Dave Gibbons (Watchmen, Rogue Trooper) and noted sci-fi writer James Swallow (Star Trek, Doctor Who, Warhammer 40k) to help round out their in-game lore. The creation of lore for a procedurally-generated exploration game with “near infinite planets” is absolutely no small feat. On the PlayStation blog, Sean Murray, one of the game’s programmers, wrote, “With a universe as open as ours – with a near infinite number of planets out there to see – we want players to discover everything on their terms. We don’t have huge cut scenes or a traditional linear story.”
That makes sense given the fact that there isn’t really a linear path for the player to follow, either. “You could write any kind of science fiction, exploration, battle, trading, love story, anything you want,” explained Gibbons in the video you can see above. As well, he shared that they may be working on a supplementary graphic novel set in the No Man’s Sky universe, one created by Gibbons in conjunction with the team.
It’s interesting to think that aside from the immense amount of tech talk that’s gone on around the creation and development of No Man’s Sky (near infinite planets is a big freaking deal), not a whole lot has been shared regarding its lore or story development. While there isn’t a linear story, as they said, creating lore and fleshing out the background of these worlds you visit and the aliens you encounter lends so much more to your very own story. It’s one thing to just have a bunch of beautiful places to explore, but if you shove the rich lore and worldbuilding in the backseat, then you just have a big sandbox. That’s not a bad thing per se, but there has to be more than just the visuals and the tech; at least, that’s what I believe.
Joining Gibbons is Swallow, another noted sci-fi writer. Gibbons described his story as one containing a bit of humor, focusing on a trader and his precious bit of cargo, which contrasts neatly with Swallow’s “visceral, internal, very gripping and engaging story.” Having these two sci-fi heavy hitters on board makes me feel better about No Man’s Sky impending release. I find myself watching gameplay videos like a little kid at the zoo, asking myself, “Wow, what’s that thing over there? Or that thing? What the HELL is that?!” I can’t wait to tour around myself and check out all the amazing things this game may have to offer. High hopes, people. High hopes.
(via Polygon)
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