It seems that the No Man’s Sky community on Reddit has become fairly toxic, according to a moderator of the game’s subreddit. The subreddit /r/NoMansSkyTheGame had over 150,000 subscribers, so it was a big deal when moderator r0ugew0lf shut it down. According to this fellow, he “purged the subreddit” because “it’s become a hate filled wastehole of no actual discussion. It’s not what we intended it to be and I don’t like providing a platform for hate” R0ugew0lf apologized to those that participated in the community “as intended”, but still insisted that they had made the right decision. R0ugew0lf also clarifies that “this was my decision and mine alone. The other moderators tried to sway my opinion but cynicism got the best of me as usual.”
Granted, the discussion on the subreddit was filled with a great deal colorful frustration, but it is quite understandable. There has been a significant lack of updates from Hello Games and silence from the development chief, Sean Murray. Both of these issues have often been the subject of bitterness for No Man’s Sky fans since the game’s release. Basically, it’s not new that No Man’s Sky fans are a group of very frustrated people. Thus, it’s easy to guess that they were not pleased with R0ugew0lf’s decision. So much so, that the moderator’s decision to shut down the subreddit caught the attention of Reddit’s community team, who suggested that the subreddit be reinstated.
This prompted R0ugew0lf to explain his decision further by requesting “more moderator support” and claiming that, “we’ve been out here basically on our own dealing with a toxic community with little support from the admin’s side… We’ve been waiting for a legitimate modmail overhaul for longer than I’ve been a moderator… I feel as if there could be much better support for your first line of defense against and [ sic ] general hate.” This might be understandable in light of incidents like the fans’ reaction after the announcement of a delay for No Man’s Sky , as death threats were included. I know I’d certainly want some help stemming that tide of anger. That said, Hello Games has been working on game patches, but not really addressing their clearly upset fans.
Nonetheless, the No Man’s Sky subreddit reopened after another moderator took the reins from R0ugew0lf. All seems well so far, as the other mod states that they’ve been “reviewing the situation and working with r0ugew0lf to determine the needs of this community and how the admins can help meet them.” Furthermore, the other mod has “extended invitations to some of the previous moderators to get things started.. At the core of things, this is a subreddit and a community centered around No Man’s Sky . I’m asking everyone here to participate in good faith and leave any frustration with the recent situation at the door. If a community this big is in trouble, we’re supposed to be here to help.”
Was it wrong of R0ugew0lf to shut down the community? In my opinion, yes, but I can understand why he did it. Heck, Sean Murray is probably in hiding for the same reason. No Man’s Sky fans can get very impassioned about their favorite game, and honestly, why not? No Man’s Sky is a miracle of gaming and mathematics that no other game has achieved quite the same way. In addition, so many promises were made that never were even hinted at in the final game itself. The whole situation is a mess of Sony, Hello Games, bad PR, and internet-generated hype. No one carries all of the fault here, so having a subreddit where fans vent their frustration without attacking an innocent party is probably the best thing possible. Thus, I’m very glad the subreddit was reinstated and continues to thrive under a new moderator. Live on, No Man’s Sky , in all your imperfect glory.