No Man’s Sky engine programmer Martin Griffiths recently fixed a major visual bug in a fan’s save file with over 600 hours of gameplay. The glitch, which severely impacted the player’s experience, was resolved after Griffiths committed extra time to the task—an effort he felt was well justified by the player’s dedication to Hello Games’ expansive space exploration game.

Griffiths shared in a post about the “611-hour save” that Hello Games places high importance on resolving bugs for its most committed players. “Although every bug is important, we can’t help but take extra time when the save is in the hundreds or thousands of hours,” he explained, noting that some players even reach 4,000 hours of playtime. He detailed the specifics of the recent fix, mentioning that this save had recreated a persistent flickering bug reported by other players in similar posts.

One of the most humbling things about being an engine and platform engineer on #NoMansSky is receiving a save-game demonstrating a bug submitted to Zen-desk (verified through QA as reproducible) with instructions on how it occurs, and then helping fix it:

Although every bug is…

— Martin Griffiths (@Griff_) October 25, 2024

Upon receiving the save file, Griffiths was determined to eliminate the issue, saying, “I will hawk that bug and fix it,” emphasizing that players who invest so much time in No Man’s Sky deserve a fully functional game. He added that these fixes benefit the entire player community, as they are integrated into the game’s engine to support future long-term players. He acknowledged the complexity in addressing such issues across various platforms, saying, “The complexity is mad, so trust that we will fix everything we can.”

The fix was ultimately successful, with Griffiths sharing a before-and-after video that showcased the bug’s impact and the improvements post-fix. The initial video displayed the “horrible flickering,” while the second video showed the exact location running smoothly. Beyond resolving this specific save file issue, Griffiths mentioned that the update likely benefits other players, especially those with large in-game structures on Xbox, where similar glitches may have occurred.

One fan praised Griffiths’ dedication, writing, “Mad respect for the dedication.” For the player with the 611-hour save, the fix preserves a long-standing commitment to No Man’s Sky, and Hello Games’ willingness to address such issues reinforces their understanding of how much these saves mean to players.