Hello Games gets even more ambitious with Light No Fire

The concept of Light No Fire revolves around a procedurally-generated multiplayer Earth, a true-to-scale world that's of the same size as our home planet. This fantasy environment promises to be a massive playground, with deep oceans as well as massive mountains as imposing as those on Earth. The magnitude of this project is unparalleled, with hundreds of millions of square miles of explorable terrain.

After turning No Man's Sky around, Hello Games is finally ready to spend time creating a new survival sandbox game. In Light No Fire, players can create custom avatars across various species and immerse themselves in a deep fantasy story. It's set to feature character-driven quests, similar to No Man's Sky, where players interact with NPCs in small outposts.

Light No Fire is more than just a game about exploration and survival; it's about building a life and community within a shared, persistent world. The structures and communities players build will be discoverable by others, adding a unique layer of interactivity and unpredictability. This design choice underscores Hello Games' commitment to creating a dynamic, living world that continually evolves based on player interactions.

While the concept isn't unique, Hello Games' experience with No Man's Sky suggests that they've learned their lesson and will only release the game once it lives up to their initial promises. Nevertheless, some remain fearful that Light No Fire will enjoy a prolonged marketing campaign, not unlike No Man's Sky.

If the latter were to happen, Light No Fire would find itself fodder for criticism almost immediately.

While No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 have proven themselves that redemption arcs do happen, Hello Games needs to remind itself that lightning doesn't strike twice. We don't think gamers will be just as forgiving if Light No Fire goes through a similarly disastrous launch period like its predecessor.

Nevertheless, the initial trailer is setting Light No Fire up to be one of this decade's most anticipated games.

If nothing else, Light No Fire should satisfy fans who are eagerly waiting for the release of The Elder Scrolls VI, which might not be ready anytime soon.