Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky features a vast universe, quintillions of planets, and seemingly endless opportunities for exploration. But you should probably plan on doing it alone, even though there is technically multiplayer support.

In fact, the chance of you being able to meet up with a friend in the vastness of space is so slim that Sony and Hello Games consider No Man’s Sky to be a single-player experience (as seen here on the PlayStation Store and Steam storefront).

Game Informer Australia editor David Milner reached out to Sony to inquire about a number of items and heard one interesting tidbit. “PS Plus won’t be a requirement to play online, however you will need to connected to the internet for your discoveries to register with the universal atlas,” a representative told him.

The atlas is a souped up version of a leaderboard, allowing players to leave indelible marks on the one-time procedurally generated universe. We’ll find out just how expansive the game is when it’s released on August 9.

For more on No Man’s Sky, check out our most recent preview.

Our Take

Given how infrequent player contact is likely to be according to Hello Games, dropping the PS Plus requirement makes a lot of sense. While technically supporting multiplayer encounters, the rarity of them has left both Sony and Hello Games calling this a single-player title. If you were hoping to cruise the galaxy with friends, there are other games (like Elite Dangerous) that might be more your light speed.