Sean Murray, head of the studio at Hello Games, admitted that he had deliberately abandoned the monetization model through DLC and in-game purchases. According to him, he deliberately avoids business presentations that could prove the profitability of such decisions, as it harms his "mental health."
The main reason for such a policy is to preserve the integrity of the community. Developers aim to ensure that every player has access to new content at the same time. Murray emphasized that separating the audience with paid add-ons would kill features such as Xeno Arena’s battle mode.
"We like to work on updates, knowing that everyone will appreciate them," says Murray.
Even ten years after the release, when players had only been exploring 1% of the universe, the team continued to develop the project for free, drawing on its main enthusiasm. The studio is also working on an ambitious game, Light No Fire, whose release date remains a secret.