Subnautica 2

Last updated

Subnautica 2
Subnautica 2 cover art.jpg
Developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Publisher Krafton
Composer Ben Prunty
Series Subnautica
Engine Unreal Engine 5
Platforms
Release2026 (early access)
Genres Action-adventure, survival
Modes Single-player, multiplayer

Subnautica 2 is an upcoming action-adventure survival game developed by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. It is a sequel to 2018's Subnautica and the third game in the series after 2021's Subnautica: Below Zero . The game is set to release in early access in 2026. The game is currently[ when? ] open for testers and early access begins in May.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Gameplay

Set on a new planet, Subnautica 2 will support single-player and co-op gameplay with a total of up to four players, the first time multiplayer gameplay is present in the series. [1] A cinematic trailer showed a new vehicle, new creatures and environments and hinted at the introduction of a current mechanic that can drag the player to another area. [2] Players will be able to modify their own DNA to acquire abilities, a feature that was originally cut from Subnautica. [3]

Development

The game was initially confirmed to be in the works on April 7, 2022, as "the next game in the Subnautica universe". [4] In November 2023, publisher Krafton revealed in a financial report that it was to be released sometime in 2025. [5] This was followed by another report on February 8, 2024, that described it as a "multiplayer live-service game", creating fan backlash that prompted the developers to clarify that it would have "no season passes, no battle passes, no subscription". [6] [7]

It is planned to be released as an early access title and will be available on PC and Xbox Series X and S. [8] Unlike its predecessors, Subnautica 2 is made with Unreal Engine 5. [9]

The first screenshots of the game were also published in 2024, some of which were hidden within Subnautica itself. [10] A cinematic trailer for the game was released on October 17, 2024, during the Xbox Partner Showcase, with the early access release slated for 2025. [8] On April 23, 2025, the first in a series of dev blogs was posted on YouTube showing new content and early gameplay footage. [11]

Several major changes to the development team took place in July 2025 causing a number of lawsuits involving Krafton and the former development leads, with Krafton also announcing that the early access release was delayed to 2026. A gameplay trailer was released alongside the delay announcement. [12]

Staff firings and lawsuits

In July 2025, Krafton announced it had replaced Unknown Worlds' CEO Ted Gill—as well as studio co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire—with Steve Papoutsis. Steve Papoutsis had previously served as executive and senior producer at Striking Distance Studios, the developer of The Callisto Protocol . [13] Following community backlash to the leadership change, Unknown Worlds reiterated that the game would have "no subscriptions. No loot boxes. No battle pass. No microtransactions." [14] Krafton also stated that the original leadership were removed as they had abandoned their responsibilities at the studio, leading to significant delays in Subnautica 2's development. Anonymous leaks of development slides showing content changes were leaked to the media during July in an apparent attempt to defend the firings and quell a rising playerbase backlash against Krafton. [15]

Cleveland, McGuile, and Gill filed a lawsuit against Krafton related to their firings that same month. It had also come to light that the firings and delayed release had come months before Krafton was due to pay the development team a bonus worth up to $250 million USD based on revenue targets that a release into Early Access would have helped achieve. [16]

Publisher restructuring and AI strategy

In November 2024, publisher Krafton announced a company-wide voluntary resignation program for its South Korean workforce, offering compensation packages ranging from six to thirty-six months of salary depending on years of service. The announcement followed Krafton reporting record cumulative revenue of ₩2.407 trillion (South Korean won) and operating profit of ₩1.052 trillion through the third quarter of 2024. Krafton stated that the program was not intended as workforce reduction, but rather as support for employees amid a broader corporate transition. The company also announced plans to transform into an “AI First” organization, including automation of internal workflows using agentic artificial intelligence and an investment of approximately ₩100 billion in GPU infrastructure, alongside a company-wide hiring freeze excluding core intellectual property and AI-related roles. [17]

References

  1. ↑ Hannah, Zoë (October 17, 2024). "Subnautica 2 will include multiplayer and take place on a new planet". Polygon. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  2. ↑ McLarney, Andrew (October 20, 2024). "New Features Shown In Subnautica 2's Reveal Trailer". Game Rant. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  3. ↑ Ozoa, Enricko (October 23, 2024). "Subnautica 2 Takes Survival to The Next Level With One Feature". Game Rant. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  4. ↑ Grimshaw, Jack (April 10, 2022). "'Subnautica' sequel in development at Unknown Worlds". NME. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  5. ↑ Livingston, Christopher (November 21, 2023). "The next Subnautica game is coming in 2025". PC Gamer. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  6. ↑ Zwiezen, Zack (February 8, 2024). "Subnautica 2 Devs Quickly Clarify That, No, It's Not A Live-Service Thing". Kotaku. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  7. ↑ Wales, Matt (October 17, 2024). "Subnautica 2 gets first trailer, and it's launching into early access next year". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Bailey, Dustin (October 17, 2024). "Subnautica 2, the third Subnautica game, hits early access in 2025 and finally brings multiplayer to the survival game series". gamesradar. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  9. ↑ Ratcliff, James (October 17, 2024). "Subnautica 2 Announced, Has 4-Player Co-Op". Game Rant. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  10. ↑ Robertson, Joshua (July 29, 2024). "Subnautica Devs Are Sneaking Sequel Screenshots Into Time Capsules". TheGamer. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  11. ↑ Writer, Connor Makar Staff (April 23, 2025). "Subnautica 2 kicks off its road to early access with its first dev vlog, diving into co-op and new features". VG247. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Unknown Worlds / An Update On Subnautica 2 Early Access". unknownworlds.com. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  13. ↑ Gerblick, Jordan (July 1, 2025). "In a massive shakeup, Subnautica creators and Unknown Worlds co-founders have been replaced by The Callisto Protocol studio CEO months before Subnautica 2's early access launch". GamesRadar+. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Unknown Worlds / A Letter To Our Community". unknownworlds.com. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  15. ↑ Parrish, Ash (July 10, 2025). "Krafton slams ex-Subnautica 2 execs — who now say they're suing". The Verge. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  16. ↑ Blake, Vikki (2025-07-11). "Ousted Subnautica 2 Leadership 'Files Lawsuit' Against Parent Company Krafton as Row Over $250M Bonus Gets Personal". IGN. Retrieved 2026-07-12.{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  17. ↑ "Krafton Begins Voluntary Resignation Program Amid AI First Transition". BusinessKorea. November 12, 2024.
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