A Different Kind of Multiplayer
Hello Games receives all kinds of questions about the multiplayer, with people excited to play with their friends. Managing director Sean Murray wants to dispel all that talk. "I think when people see [the galactic map] they are going to fully realize what it means to be that far away from somebody else who's playing. And I know that's a bit weird for people, but it's what's different about our game. And we want to embrace that. We don't want people just scouting off beside their friends. I actually want people to boot up the game and just think, 'Isn't the universe huge? Who are we? What are we all doing here?'"
Outside of seeing your friends' stats and their location on the galactic map, you will likely never meet up with them (though an in-game messaging system has been teased). The closest comparison is the multiplayer in Journey, except it will be far more rare. Other players won't have their online handle floating above them. They won't be able to voice chat. If they're in a ship, you might fly past them without ever knowing they are a real person.
In fact, the first time you see another player will be the first time you realize what your character looks like. "I think we will probably surprise people in terms of how they look," Murray says. "You will effectively see their suit, so you won't know what's inside. It still won't answer for people whether you are an alien or whether you are a human or what you look like."
