This popular space-exploration game will likely end up on the Apple VR headset — here’s how we know

Popular game developer Sean Murray has potentially teased the presence of his development team at WWDC 2023 with two tweets depicting apple emojis. Hello Games is the acclaimed developer behind space-bound survival title No Man’s Sky, but this tease could mean more than we think. 

WWDC 2023 begins on June 5 and lasts through June 9, with the first day featuring the keynote and State of the Union, both of which will be publicly available to watch. Apple’s keynote is where Sean Murray and Hello Games will most likely show up, but rather than just appear with a new game available on Apple Arcade and MacBook, it’s entirely possible that the company will use No Man’s Sky as a demonstration of what Apple’s VR headset is capable of.

Apple’s VR headset could have a ‘No Man’s Sky’ demo

No Man’s Sky has been Hello Games’ primary passion project for the last seven years. Launching in 2016 to underwhelming acclaim, the game has since then received massive overhauls featuring major game-changing updates every year.

No Man’s Sky received VR functionality in 2019 with its “Beyond” update, giving users the ability to explore the cosmos on both PC and PS5 in virtual reality. No Man’s Sky appeared at WWDC 2022 to reveal Mac compatibility was in the works, but it has yet to come out.

Considering Sean Murray’s teases, it’s likely that we’ll get more information on the game’s compatibility with Mac at this year’s WWDC 2023. And considering it has been playable in VR for the last four years, it’s entirely possible that Apple will use the game as an opportunity to show off the gaming aspect of its Apple VR/AR headset.

Apple’s R headset has been heavily rumored to appear during WWDC 2023, so it would be pertinent for the company to give each facet of this $3,000 headset a solid chunk of the spotlight. Regardless, we’ll learn what Apple is truly planning on June 5. 

Check out our oft-updated Apple VR headset rumor hub to get the latest scoop on the long-awaited head-mounted display.