Sean Murray, head of Hello Games, has responded lightheartedly to claims that Once Human developer Starry Studio reused an asset from No Man's Sky in a premium cosmetic item. The resemblance between No Man's Sky's base teleport module and Once Human's exercise bike-like object was highlighted by fans on social media. Murray noted a shared oversight in the models, suggesting the imitators missed out on details.
The Alleged Asset Reuse
Fans discovered striking similarities between a base teleport module in No Man's Sky and a new premium cosmetic in Once Human, prompting discussions on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). The items appear nearly identical, except for some color changes and the addition of bike pedals on the Once Human version. A post by streamer Gothalion tagged Hello Games and No Man's Sky's official accounts, questioning if the studio was aware of the in-game sale of what looked like their asset.
Starry Studio's Once Human, a survival game with multiplayer elements, has faced prior accusations of borrowing from other titles, as noted by community members. Despite this, the incident highlights ongoing concerns in the industry about asset originality in procedural generation-heavy games like these.
Sean Murray's Response
Sean Murray addressed the buzz on X, pointing out that both models lack rivets due to a level-of-detail (LOD) omission in distant views—a mistake Hello Games made. 'Joke's on them—we forgot to LOD those rivets,' he wrote, accompanied by a comparison image. His casual tone indicates little concern over potential intellectual property issues, focusing instead on the humorous flaw.
This comes amid No Man's Sky's resurgence, though the core event centers on the asset comparison rather than broader updates. The developer's relaxed stance may ease tensions, but it underscores the challenges of asset creation in expansive open-world titles.