Unknown Worlds and publisher Krafton are aiming to put Subnautica 2 into early access in May. No firm date has been announced yet, though — that bit’s still pending.
In a developer statement the team said the build just cleared another step in Krafton’s review last week and is ready for players. The update reportedly expands the narrative, introduces unfamiliar fauna and landscape types, and layers in a number of other systems that weren’t there before.
There’s also a legal wrinkle: the studio is waiting to renew cooperation with Ted Gill, a former head of Unknown Worlds who recently won a court case against Krafton. The ruling called for his return as CEO and for leadership of Subnautica 2 to be handed back to him, a decision Krafton has publicly disputed. Whether that will speed things up or complicate the rollout is anyone’s guess — things can get messy behind the scenes.
Development progress is being shown in video diaries.
Past entries have dug into the base-building mechanics (e.g. the structure and modules), the work toward multiplayer, the Tadpole underwater vehicle, and the process behind creating a new Leviathan.
- base-building system
- multiplayer
- the Tadpole underwater vehicle
- the creation of a new Leviathan
Also worth noting: last week Subnautica: Below Zero was released on mobile devices — a separate roll-out that arrived with its own trailer and coverage.