No Man’s Sky is a vast game that uses something called a “superformula” to generate its many different planets for players to explore. A report has just come out saying that a Dutch company named Genicap actually owns the rights and patent to the superformula and that Hello Games was not given permission to use it. Jeroen Sparrow of Genicap said the following regarding the issue:
“We haven’t provided a license to Hello Games. We don’t want to stop the launch, but if the formula is used we’ll need to have a talk.”
Despite these claims, Genicap has not seen the source of No Man’s Sky data, according to pcgamer. Creator Sean Murray has gone on record acknowledging the importance of the superformula in an interview in 2015 with New Yorker. In the interview, the superformula is mentioned as a vital part of what makes No Man’s Sky procedurally generated planets a possibility.
No Man’s Sky has had a bumpy road to launch, including death threats made to Sean Murray over a recent delay. As of now, the patent issue has not effected the game’s August launch.
You can read Sean Murray’s interview with New Yorker here.
What do you think of Genicap’s claim on the superformula? Let us know your comments below or in the RGM forums.
