As the drama around Subnautica 2 continues, with even the early access launch window called out by the freshly reinstated Ted Gill, it’s nice to focus on the game. Thankfully, Unknown Worlds has launched a new series, “Dive into the Legacy,” which delves into the community and their journeys. The first episode highlights that of Arytom, who’s now a level designer on the sequel.
Having enjoyed the first game, he would sign up to become a playtester for Subnautica: Below Zero. The experience involved playing through the game and discovering “exciting things,” even if they weren’t supposed to clip or catch on fire. He recalls how it was a “really, really” hands-on process with the development team.
“This company was made on community feedback, and the games inside were helped build by them and being a voice and being heard to create Below Zero, and Subnautica was amazing.”
As a level designer on Subnautica 2, Artyom remembers having “specific feelings” when exploring the first game’s Mushroom Forest or Grand Reef. “And when I was taking those feelings and able to put them into Subnautica 2’s world, do I still get that sense of awe? Do I still get that sense of what’s around the corner and what’s next?
“I know that I’m hitting the same beats, and my little fan inside is like, ‘That’s it. You’re doing good. We’re hitting this right.'”
Interestingly, he also dropped some additional details about the sequel, noting that the team has “definitely doubled down” on the aliens. “You’re going to uncover more. You’re going to learn more. And you’re going to go deeper than you could ever hope. I cannot wait for people to hop into it.” Some footage of the same is also revealed, and suffice to say that it looks proper scary, especially if they’ve captured an ally.
For now, Subnautica 2 will enter early access this May for Xbox Series X/S and PC. The exact amount of content available at launch or the long-term roadmap remains to be revealed. As always, stay tuned for more updates.
