- Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky will launch on the Nintendo Switch 2 with the new Beacon content update and cross-save functionality
- Similar to previous updates, it will be free for existing owners without a paid upgrade path
- It’s an example of why cross-save is important for other game developers to include in games
The Nintendo Switch 2’s launch is now just hours away, alongside a handful of launch titles – and one of them will be coming with plenty of benefits for players at no extra cost.
Hello Games has announced a No Man’s Sky Switch 2 edition launching with its new Beacon content update, featuring full multiplayer, improved frame rates including 4K texture support – and perhaps most importantly, cross-save and cross-play functionality. All will be free to existing Switch 1 No Man’s Sky owners when it launches on June 5.
It’s great for fans to see the improved frame rates and 4K resolution, especially based on the expectations set for a variety of the console’s games. It’s also worth noting that the Switch 1 port didn’t have full multiplayer, which will now be possible thanks to the Switch 2’s extra horsepower. However, another big highlight is the inclusion of cross-save and cross-play from day one.
Cross-save has been available in No Man’s Sky for all platforms for some time, but with the Switch 2’s launch, you’ll be able to pick up exactly where you’ve left off. We don’t often see cross-save inclusion in other triple A games at launch, or even at all (in both multiplayer and single-player titles), and fortunately, indie developer Hello Games has considered it.
It’s a testament to how considerate the game developer has been over the past few years, especially with its Beacon update joining the huge list of free content released, and fans will undoubtedly be hoping the goodwill continues – and push other game developers to do the same.
Analysis: The Switch 2 is an example of why we need more cross-save games
It’s a massive feat for Hello Games to go full throttle with the Switch 2 port, especially with all the improvements that are coming without any need for a paid upgrade path. It’s also another reason to stress that not enough games have cross-save support, from console to PC and vice versa.
I applaud developers such as Larian Studios with Baldur’s Gate 3, CD Projekt Red with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Cyberpunk 2077, but I think there’s more room for this to be a common occurrence. It’s worth noting that I’m not just talking about cross-save on the same platform, like the Switch 1 to the Switch 2, but rather including all consoles and PC – you get the idea.
It’s a dealbreaker for me when deciding whether I should buy a PC port of Sony‘s PlayStation titles, especially when I already own the title on the PS5 – and a prime example is Stellar Blade, launching on Steam on June 11, without cross-save functionality.
A decent portion of the games coming to the Switch 2 at launch are games that have already launched on other platforms, and that players buying the Switch 2 have already made progress in – for example, Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 or IO Interactive’s Hitman World of Assassination, both of which don’t support cross progression. So simply, it’s not just a PC problem, but also all platforms that need this support.
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