No Man’s Sky under investigation for false advertising

No Man's Sky’s promotional material has come under fire since launch, and it’s now the subject of an ongoing investigation. The U.K.-based Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirmed to Polygon that it’s received "several complaints about No Man’s Sky’s advertising," which angry customers have criticized as misleading.

"I can confirm we have received several complaints about No Man's Sky advertising and we have launched an investigation," the ASA told Polygon.

A representative for the ASA declined to comment on the particulars of the investigation, but a thread on the No Man Sky’s subreddit details some of the most prominent issues Steam users have with the game’s store page, which they passed on to the organization.

Screens and video on Steam suggest a different type of combat, unique buildings, "ship flying behaviour" and creature sizes than what’s found in the actual game itself. The store page overall has also been criticized for showing No Man’s Sky with higher quality graphics than can be attained in-game.

The Reddit thread notes that the ASA is holding responsible both developer Hello Games and Valve, which runs the Steam platform, for No Man’s Sky's controversial advertising. We’ve contacted both for more information and will update accordingly.

On Steam, No Man’s Sky has an overwhelmingly negative user response. Ahead of launch, the game was touted as a sprawling, procedurally generated adventure through the galaxy; players have found the finished product to be less than what they were expecting, with mixed reviews and an especially vocal player base calling out Hello Games for No Man’s Sky’s "false promises."