No Man's Sky: Beyond has been announced, and the first part of this new free update will be No Man's Sky Online.

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Unveiled by developer Hello Games and Sean Murray, No Man's Sky: Beyond will arrive this summer on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC and will contain "three major updates rolled into one larger free release."The first, and only currently known component of this update, will be No Man's Sky Online.In Murray's own words, "No Man’s Sky Online includes a radical new social and multiplayer experience which empowers players everywhere in the universe to meet and play together."He isn't calling it a traditional MMO, even though it will have "many recognisable online elements," as it will require no subscription, won't feature any microtransactions, and will simply be a free update to all No Man's Sky players.No Man's Sky: Beyond is the next evolution of what began with the game's last major update, No Man's Sky NEXT, which introduced the beginning of Hello Games' multiplayer plan, a third-person perspective, and much more. More about the remaining two components of No Man's Sky: Beyond will be released in the coming weeks. Until then, you can read more about Sean Murray's thoughts on the present, past, and future of No Man's Sky, as well as read our review of No Man's Sky NEXT.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who is continuously impressed with the level of support for No Man's Sky, which he loves. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst.