No Man's Sky Interview: "People Want Crazy, Innovative Games" - GameSpot

LE: @eagle-eye
So is this an online shared universe?

Everyone starts on the outside edge of the universe. Everyone actually starts on his or her own planet, pretty much. From the moment they boot up they are actually seeing a different image on the screen. That's a cool, unique thing. As in, I hope that people share that. They're like, "Oh my god, check out where I started!" or whatever. And it means that your journey is kind of unique. If I start on a really toxic planet or radioactive planet or something I'd feel really unlucky. I hear people talking about that kind of thing. They say, "Typical for me! I started on a radioactive planet. That's my life in a nutshell." Then there's other people who are like, "I started on this beautiful utopia! That's quite nice."

So yeah, it's a unique journey, but it is within a shared universe. The chances of you meeting up with your friends are zero, pretty much. But, we are all in the same universe, and if two players were to fly to the exact same planet in the exact same place then they'd see the same thing.