Space News Network is an in-development exploration game that casts players as interstellar journalists searching strange planets and space for stories. It matters because it combines the open-ended discovery associated with No Man’s Sky-style games with reporting, publishing and audience-management mechanics, rather than making exploration its only goal.

Players can find news by investigating anomalies or questioning informants, while also facing pirate blockades, dangerous wildlife and routine resource-gathering tasks. Stories are assembled in a simplified layout editor using text and images, and an in-game subscriber market increasingly expects more demanding reporting; a work-in-progress build is available on Itch.io, while the full release has no confirmed date.