The No Man’s Sky Explorer Edition has yet to be shipped to those who have purchased it, with the $150 collection expected to make its way into customers’ hands by mid-November – over 2 months after the game launched on August 9.
The Explorer’s Edition contains a metal, hand-painted replica of one of the space exploration game’s ships, alongside custom decals for decoration, a pin, a diorama display backdrop, an Atlas Traveler’s Log pen and a mystery “Rad Box,” along with a redeemable code to download the game on PC via Steam or GOG. The collection was limited edition, with only 10,000 units being made available to purchase, though it has been revealed that over a month since No Man’s Sky was released those who purchased the Explorer’s Edition are still waiting for it to arrive.
The manufacturer of the ship replica, iam8bit, sent out an email on August 30 to those who purchased the Explorer’s Edition, explaining that they could receive the limited edition collection as late as mid-November. The email, obtained by Crave, explains how iam8bit are “not a mega-corporation,” and that the creators of the replica had failed to predict how long it would take to create the product. It reads: “Casting in metal is a MUCH more difficult and expensive manufacturing process, so making something out of metal automatically ups the quality quotient.” The email then continues to explain how this has impacted upon the replica’s production, adding: “We wanted to make such a superior collectible that we underestimated just how long it would take. Because we’re sticklers for quality, we provide an endless stream of notes, which ultimately sets production back.”
iam8bit go on to explain how requesting a refund for the product at this stage “has repercussions,” adding: “It doesn’t mean we can simply stop production on your ship. As a small company, we have to eat that cost. To be clear – we are not millionaire one-percenters laughing all the way to the bank. Truly, these “Explorer’s Editions” make us very little profit, and any profit that does result goes straight into paying the salaries of our loyal employees who depend on us to keep iam8bit going.”
Redditor BananaS_SB confirmed that they had pre-purchased the Explorer’s Edition, stating that they could not ask for a refund of the product, though that this was made clear prior to their purchase in the product’s listing. As a result of the delay, iam8bit have also offered a 25% discount on all future purchases customers may make with them, along with revealing details of a “photo contest” in which the company will hand out an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for two in order to visit the company’s headquarters.
No Man’s Sky had a troubled launch, with the game attracting plenty of backlash from critics and consumers alike upon its release. Aside from the problems many had with the major differences between the finished product and its pre-release commercials, the PC version also launched with a variety of bugs and performance issues, leading to it being roundly criticized online. Although iam8bit have remained communicative with their customers (which is more than can be said for Hello Games, who continue to silently release patches without informing players how they plan to support the game in the future), the lengthy delay in shipping out their products will stand as yet another disappointing moment for arguably the most controversial game of this current generation.
