No Man's Sky creator gets death threats over delays

An image from the delayed space exploration game, No Man's Sky.

One of the developers of the highly-anticipated No Man's Sky says he has received death threats after confirming a six-week delay to the release date of his game.

Confirming last week's rumour, Hello Games developer Sean Murray wrote on the PlayStation Blog that "some key moments needed extra polish".

As a result, the space exploration game is releasing on August 9 on Playstation 4 and PC, rather than the original date of June 21.

"We understand that this news is disappointing," wrote Murray. "We hope you'll accept our sincere apology and I am humbly asking that you'll still look forward to exploring our universe despite the slight delay."

Following the announcement, Murray says he received death threats from gamers angry about the delay.

I have received loads of death threats this week, but don't worry, Hello Games now looks like the house from Home Alone #pillowfort

— Sean Murray (@NoMansSky) May 28, 2016

Additionally, Kotaku's Jason Schreier - who initially broke the story of the delay - received threats as well.

Death threats have become increasingly common in the gaming world, and have been received by entities like Valve, Sony, and the Game Developer's Choice Awards.

No Man's Sky's enormous, procedurally generated universe and planet-hopping gameplay have sparked great enthusiasm amongst gamers since its reveal in 2013.

"I think people really like the concept, but it's very important for me to deliver on that," said Murray during a recent trip to Los Angeles to show off No Man's Sky.

"When we set out to make the game, we wanted people to have this emotion, like they're landing on a planet and feeling like no one has ever been there before.

"It's not like a typical video game," said Murray. "You don't start off in prison, then someone throws you a gun and you have to rescue your dad or something.

"It's about finding these places and becoming more engrossed in them."

- Gameplanet with AP