No Man’s Sky Under Investigation From Advertising Standards Authority

No Man’s Sky launched to a ton of hype, and while a lot of it was generated from excitable fans and over-enthusiastic press, developer Hello Games definitely played a part in building it up. 

So, when the game finally launched to a frosty reception, many claimed that the finished product was not what had been advertised.

It would seem that the Advertising Standards Authority agrees, as it confirmed to Eurogamer that it has launched an investigation into Hello Games’ open universe explore-’em-up.

According to the report, the watchdog launched its investigation after receiving ‘several complaints’ regarding No Man’s Sky’s advertising.

The ASA can – if it so chooses – remove adverts that it believes are in breach of its code of conduct, and stop them from appearing again.

Following that, if an advertiser decides not to comply with an ASA ruling, the ASA can then impose consequences, such as getting internet search engines to remove a marketer’s paid-for search ads.

As the investigation is currently on-going, the ASA declined to comment any further.

However, one of the complainants did reveal on Reddit that the ASA has been in touch with both Hello Games and Valve, who allegedly have a ‘joint responsibility’ to resolve the matter.

The majority of complaints come from references to features that don’t appear in the game, such as factions that contest territory.

In addition, people have contested the lack of advanced animal AI, large scale space battles, and the overall graphical quality (there are some nasty pop ups in the PS4 and PC versions).

Hello Games has frequently promised to bring more features in future updates, but it might well be a case of too little, too late.