When the highly-anticipated, sci-fi open space exploration game "No Man's Sky" was first announced, developer Hello Games had it originally planned to be released as a time exclusive for the Playstation 4 and to be released later for Windows PC. The game has never been confirmed for the Xbox One, and now Microsoft seems to be gunning for the game's exclusivity to be lifted, or rather be converted from Sony.
Speaking at a podcast interview with Gamingbolt, ID@Xbox director Chris Carla said that they want to see the game on the Xbox One, but that the decision will have to depend on the developers. However, if "No Man's Sky" would be released for the Xbox One first, it would become their exclusive instead because of the company's parity clause.
Specific details of the clause cannot be disclosed, but generally, the parity clause works as a catch-all for Microsoft. Under the agreement, game developers who will release their games first for the Xbox One will become exclusives and will not be available for other consoles. If the Xbox One version came after a game is released on other consoles, most specifically for Sony's Playstation, then the Xbox One version should have additional original content to make it unique.
According to observers in the game industry, the clause might be one of the factors why Hello Games and other developers opt to release their titles for Sony first.
Hello Game's "No Man's Sky" was first announced in 2013 and is touted to be massive enough that it uses procedural options to unravel infinite universes unique to each player. Gamers will be able to explore the space, check out individual planets, trade, and get into battles in a massive galaxy. It is slated for release some time this year for the PS4 and Windows PC.
