No Man’s Sky goes full-on Pokémon in new creature-battling update - “This is an entire multiplayer game all of its own

Hello Games has announced the Xeno Arena update for No Man’s Sky, which introduces Pokémon-style creature collection and battle mechanics to the space exploration game. As the announcement describes, this is “an entire multiplayer game all of its own.”

The update allows players to collect alien creatures discovered across the universe, including dinosaurs, flying cows, robots, and gaseous blobs. Players can raise, train, and breed these creatures, with the number of available creatures expanding from 18 to 30. Each creature possesses unique abilities and moves that determine their effectiveness in combat.

The centerpiece of the update is the Xeno Arena, where players engage in simulated battles. These battles are non-lethal, with creatures competing without sustaining permanent damage. Players can build squadrons of creatures and improve their stats through training and breeding.

According to Hello Games head Sean Murray, the feature evolved from the game’s existing creature discovery and naming system. The developers wanted to give the variety of alien life forms a gameplay purpose beyond collection and companionship. “What if you could collect them, breed them, have them as pets… but also battle them?” Murray said.

The Xeno Arena update is available now across all platforms where No Man’s Sky is offered, including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Xbox Game Pass. This marks another major content addition for the game, which has continued to receive substantial updates nearly a decade after its initial launch.

Sources

• [No Man’s Sky goes full-on Pokémon in new creature-battling update - “This is an entire multiplayer game all of its own](https://www.eurogamer.net/no-mans-sky-goes-pokemon-in-new-xeno-arena-update)
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