A small group of fans of exploration game No Man's Sky are renting advertising space near the offices of a videogame studio to thank staff for their dedication.

Received with an enormous amount of enthusiasm in the nearly three years leading up to its release, freeform interplanetary exploration game No Man's Sky could not close the sizeable gulf between expectations and reality upon its 2016 debut.

Serious software bugs coupled with noticeable downgrades or omittance of several advertised features prompted a widespread backlash against the game and its ambitious small development team.

our community has bought the billboard outside our office to say Thank You



Oh. My. God.https://t.co/oGTjFI4WWG — Sean Murray (@NoMansSky) June 13, 2019

Over the three years since, six major free updates have followed, introducing new or missing elements such as base building, land vehicles, undersea exploration, greater environmental diversity and full multiplayer, as well as an overhauled storyline.

In particular, the mid-2018 No Man's Sky Next update prompted a broad re-evaluation of the game's merits. An upcoming No Man's Sky Beyond update is well-anticipated for promised expansions to multiplayer and virtual reality support, as well as a third mystery component.

To reflect their appreciation for Hello Games' continued efforts, one group of supportive fans are preparing to rent a billboard near the studio offices in Guildford, UK, emblazoned with an emoji-based creature and the text "Thank You Hello Games".

"Hello Games has put in a heroic effort to get NMS to where it is today. As a community on [Reddit site] r/NoMansSkyTheGame we'd like to express our thanks," reads the public fundraiser's blurb at gofundme.com/f/thanking-hello-games.

"The funds will be used to print and install a billboard in Guildford UK, within walking distance of the Hello Games LTD office," it continues; "a portion of the funds will also be used to buy a case of beer and lunch for the team."

Exceeding its modest campaign target within a day, surplus funds will go towards a supply of videogames and game consoles for a nearby special needs school.

The GoFundMe drive stays open until July 14, 2019, ahead of a planned two-week billboard rental starting Aug 12. – AFP Relaxnews