It's been nearly 10 years now since Hello Games first launched No Man's Sky into the wild – and although it suffered a shaky release, the studio is always hard at work with patches like the new Xeno Arena update to help improve the now-beloved space gem.
Seriously, it's basically become a meme now that Hello Games will never be finished with its work on No Man's Sky, as every year seems to boast a plethora of new updates – but Xeno Arena itself, a patch that packs Palworld and Pokemon-style creature battling, might've been a long time coming.
Almost two years ago now, in September 2024, a player – content creator Gothalion – requested an update that sounds a whole lot like Xeno Arena in an online post.
The only thing missing from @NoMansSky is the Pokemon update. Let me catch, train and battle creatures I find. Put an arena in the anomaly. You can do it, SeanSeptember 7, 2024
"The only thing missing from No Man's Sky is the Pokemon update," the post reads. "Let me catch, train, and battle creatures I find. Put an arena in the anomaly." Gothalion then adds, "You can do it, Sean," as a direct message to Hello Games lead Sean Murray.
Well, now that developers have unveiled Xeno Arena – an update that's precisely what Gothalion wanted – Murray has caught wind of the thread himself. In response, he writes, "We did it."
It's especially amusing as Gothalion has followed up on it now, too, humorously replying, "I have good news," and adding, "You did it," to Hello Games.
In my opinion, it's an all-around wholesome and funny moment – and it does sort of make me wonder if the studio actually saw these sorts of requests prior to planning the Xeno Arena update. That would check out, seeing as the devs often look to fan feedback.
We did it https://t.co/gOvbllZcDQApril 9, 2026
I mean, just explore any of the recent No Man's Sky updates for various examples – we got everything from gravity guns and spider mechs to massive interactive spaceships, and Hello Games is evidently not done.
It's exciting, and I'm personally thrilled that the next avenue the devs are pursuing is a Pokemon-inspired one. I've always felt the creatures in No Man's Sky (be they cute or, erm, penis-shaped) deserve more of an edge.
Xeno Arena gives them just that, and then some – it lets you "raise, train, and battle the alien creatures found across the universe," as Hello Games puts it, after all. Now I just want a cozier update… Stardew Valley-style farming, when?
