Is It REALLY Manipulation, or Did You Just PLAY Yourself?

I Strategic communication becomes strategic MANIPULATION the moment marketers and developers don’t deliver on their promise. But is it REALLY manipulation if you give the players what they want in the end?

A perfect example of this would have to be none other than “No Man’s Sky”

No Man’s Sky was promised to be the “open-universe” action-adventure survival game of the century. Do you want to go to that planet? Hop on a spaceship and go there. Better yet, build a spaceship out of nothing but what you find on the world you’re stuck on and then fly there. Do you want to create your own adventure? You can do that too. Terraforming? You bet. The universe is your oyster.

Only problem is: that is NOT the game that was released.

“No Man’s Sky” was released in 2016 and to call it a rocky launch is a big understatement. Why? Because the game that was released WAS NOT READY. “No Man’s Sky” launched to a bevy of negative responses from players and for good reason. The developer studio and the marketers on their team did not deliver on the promise they made to players when the game was released.

HOWEVER, that’s not how the story ends.

It has been seven years since the game was released and, if you check out what they’re saying about the game now, it might shock you.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, saw this coming.

After years of countless patches and working on this game, Hello Studios finally delivered on their promise and, if you play the game today, it’s nothing like the game players received in 2016. It is one of the best open-world games, and one of the greatest gaming comebacks, in years.

So give me your thoughts: Did Hello Studios manipulate players into buying “No Man’s Sky”, or was it just strategic communication and is the game that is out right now proof that the studio listens to their players? I’d love to hear what you think!