This means that future plans for Subnautica 2 will involve a “focus on quality and community trust until full launch, while pursuing long-term franchise expansion.” In the short term, Krafton wants to “scale up the creative” behind the game by offering more features like expanded scalability for co-op gameplay while preserving its core.

The success of Subnautica 2 comes despite the title and its development team – Unknown Worlds – going through quite a bit of drama following its acquisition by Krafton. Earlier this month, CEO Ted Gill announced that he was stepping down from his role as part of a settlement with Krafton that ensures that the publisher will pay out its promised bonuses.

“We mutually agreed to part ways. New leadership is the best way for the studio to move forward,” he said. Both Unknown Worlds and Krafton are working together to find a new CEO for the studio in the meantime.

“Krafton, Inc., Unknown Worlds Entertainment and Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire have reached a mutual settlement and agreed to dismiss all pending legal proceedings,” said Krafton in a statement. “Unknown Worlds and Krafton are focused on supporting Subnautica 2, its Early Access journey to the full 1.0 release and the global community that has made the franchise so special. Unknown Worlds will continue leading development, with Krafton providing support for the success of the game.”

The bonuses in question led to quite a bit of controversy, and even ended up with Unknown Worlds co-founders Gill, Cleveland, and McGuire taking Krafton to court. These bonuses amounted to more than $250 million, and were promised as part of Krafton’s acquisition of the studio – a deal that was valued at $500 million.

As for Subnautica 2 itself, the title has seen incredible success, managing to sell more than 4 million copies in its first five days alone. In a statement, executive producer Fernando Melo thanked the game’s community for the support and promised that feedback will continue to drive development momentum for the Early Access title.

Interestingly, Subnautica 2 also saw some minor controversy due to design decisions made by the developers that prevented players from killing the underwater creatures of the in-game world. In a Discord server, the game’s level designer said, “We aren’t a killing game. Go play Sons of the Forest or something if you want to kill.”

Following some player backlash, Unknown Worlds announced that it would rethink its approach for Subnautica 2, and promised players that the game’s creature encounters would get balancing changes, with players getting some tools to mitigate the threat presented by some of its more dangerous encounters. While Subnautica 2 will continue not to focus on combat, the studio wants to give players enough tools to deal with larger predators in more meaningful ways.

“We mutually agreed to part ways. New leadership is the best way for the studio to move forward,” he said, with both entities seeking a replacement from the outside.

Krafton subsequently told IGN that, “Krafton, Inc., Unknown Worlds Entertainment and Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire have reached a mutual settlement and agreed to dismiss all pending legal proceedings. Unknown Worlds and Krafton are focused on supporting Subnautica 2, its Early Access journey to the full 1.0 release and the global community that has made the franchise so special. Unknown Worlds will continue leading development, with Krafton providing support for the success of the game.”

The bonuses, amounting over $250 million, were decided when Krafton acquired Unknown Worlds in 2001 for $500 million. However, following delays to Subnautica 2, the company suddenly fired Gill (alongside co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire). The case went to court, and the judge ruled in Gill’s favor, reinstating him as CEO while upholding Krafton’s commitment to bonuses.

The best part is that all employees will receive compensation rather than just the top brass and those working at the studio since 2021. While doled out over three annual installments, Gill noted that the studio will be “compensated significantly more” alongside “further incentives.”

After all, Subnautica 2 crossed four million copies sold within five days of its early access launch in May. That total is likely to be even higher now, especially as Unknown Worlds continues releasing updates.

What can players expect in the future? The ability to sprint for one alongside a storage cache, voice chat, player trading, additional slots for passive Biomods, and more. You can also expect improvements to Blight Encounters, wrecks, pinned recipes, the PDA databank and more.

It’s even listening to player requests for additional means to deal with hostile sea-life, though you shouldn’t expect to slay them, Sons of the Forest-style, anytime soon. Stay tuned for more details and check out our review for early access here.

The showcase, hosted by creative director Tor Frick, primarily focused on the design principle of “density over scale”. This means that, rather than going for a massive open world, the studio has instead decided to focus on making sure that the in-game world is dense enough for players to enjoy.

Features from Unreal Engine 5, like Nanite, give the development team the ability to focus on “extreme visual density” that worked hand-in-hand with the game’s handcrafted environments to ensure that Port Desire could be explored without players facing performance issues. Lumen and MegaLights similarly played a role by giving the team access to dynamic lighting and weather systems. Even the NPCs of Port Desire made use of Unreal Engine 5 technologies, like MetaHuman and Mass Framework.

“By leveraging UE5’s latest tech to bypass traditional development bottlenecks, we’ve finally been able to build the uncompromised version of the world we’ve wanted to create for years,” said Frick during the showcase. “We look forward to the day players can experience Port Desire for themselves.”

This showcase came just a few days after Neon Giant had released a developer diary video where it discussed Port Desire and the role it will play in the story of No Law. The city has been described as being of major importance to various factions, which opens up the door for plenty of narrative opportunities for players to engage in. Among these factions are the Peacekeepers, who focus on maintaining peace and order throughout the city.

Interestingly, Frick and co-creative director Arcade Berg have previously spoken about how No Law was bound to draw comparisons with CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077. In an interview from back in December, the two spoke about how the two titles share similarities, like the cyberpunk genre and first-person perspective.

“A lot of it is, it’s just the mood and the tone. Cyberpunk [2077] is a big, sprawling experience. It’s a mega city,” said Frick. “And our game is a lot more intimate both when it comes to the gameplay mechanics but also the world. I think as people see more of the game, that will be more apparent. It’s hard to do in a short trailer like that. I think you need to see and feel the game more. It is more of an intimate experience, like the world is deep but not so grand. And the same thing with mechanics and the same thing with the story. It is very, very personal and very, very reactive around you as a player, rather than being set in this grand backdrop.”

No Law is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and doesn’t yet have a release date.

Which may as well be a time bomb, based on everything we know. Port Desire’s fragile peace and its geographical significance to the game’s warring factions make it the perfect interconnected stage and a place to pack in a ton of details that could point you toward stories that range from intense to absolutely mundane. Found a poster of a missing dog? Go ahead and act on it, if you want.

But aside from the potential for interesting stories, we also got a look at the Peacekeepers, who try to maintain order in Port Desire despite the law being more a set of guidelines for its denizens to play fast and loose with. All in all, it’s a recipe for an adventure that could scratch that Cyberpunk 2077 itch, neon lights and all. We’re all right with that comparison since the developers already knew it was coming when they set out to make this.

No Law is coming sometime this year for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S, although there’s no concrete release date yet.

The bonus is slated to be part of Krafton’s agreement for when it purchased Unknown Worlds all the way back in 2021. As part of this deal, the company had agreed to pay the studio’s former shareholders 3.12 for every $1 made up to $250 million based on Unknown Worlds’ performance, assuming the developer was able to bring in revenues of $69.8 million a month.

This acquisition deal had been the subject of major tensions between Krafton and the leadership of Unknown Worlds. In July last year, the company had said that Subnautica 2 was originally slated for an Early Access launch in 2024, and blamed a “lack of leadership” at the developer for the delay.

Noting that the $250 million compensation would have gone to the three co-founders of Unknown Worlds – Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire – the publisher said that the deal was signed “with the expectation that they would demonstrate leadership and active involvement in the development of Subnautica 2.”

“However, regrettably, the former leadership abandoned the responsibilities entrusted to them. Subnautica 2 was originally planned for an Early Access launch in early 2024, but the timeline has since been significantly delayed.”

This inevitably caused quite a few back-and-forths between the co-founders and Krafton, even leading to a lawsuit. Among the accusations levied at Krafton was the fact that its CEO, Changham Kim, was “desperate” to avoid paying out the promised bonuses to the studio and even resorted to asking ChatGPT for advice.

“Desperate to avoid such a professional embarrassment, Kim obsessed over finding a way to avoid Krafton’s obligation to pay the earn-out,” reads a pre-trial brief filed by lawyers representing Cleveland, Gill, and McGuire back in November. “[Krafton’s global head of corporate development, Maria Park] told Kim that ‘it seems to be highly likely that the earn-out will still be paid if the sales goal is achieved, regardless of the dismissal with cause.’ Kim turned to artificial intelligence to help him brainstorm ways to avoid paying the earn-out. ChatGPT likewise advised that it would be ‘difficult to cancel the earn-out.’ But Kim was undeterred.”

The lawsuit has since been settled, however, with a Delaware Chancery Court judge reinstating Gill as the CEO of Unknown Worlds. “Judgment is entered in favor of Fortis [which represents the Unknown Worlds founders] on its Phase One claims,” stated vice chancellor Lori W. Will. “Krafton breached the EPA by terminating the Key Employees without valid Cause and by improperly seizing operational control of Unknown Worlds.”

In the meantime, Subnautica 2 came out on PC and Xbox Series X/S as an Early Access title, and Unknown Worlds has already started bringing in improvements to the survival crafting game. A hotfix released earlier this week, for instance, brought in buffs for Silver and Troilite drops and nerfed Hammerheads.

Yes, the franchise is quite popular among survival fans thanks to its bizarre premise and the way it bakes that weirdness into its gameplay. But there have been titles that have squandered that advantage over the years. What makes this one different? What has made two million players dive right into the depths of the alien planet it takes you to, surfacing only to get some air before you go right back to it again?

That’s what we’re here to tell you about. Let’s go!

The Story Behind The Survival

It can be easy for a survival title to take a relaxed approach to its narrative, using it to frame your actions within a specific context that makes the gameplay loop meaningful to its players. But Subnautica 2 is self-aware enough to subvert that particular fallacy, and bakes its narrative into the world’s very design in ways that make its themes become a constant undercurrent no matter what you’re doing in the game.

While that might make you expect a complex premise, that isn’t the case. It’s simple enough to get into early, and it acts as the catalyst for some very nuanced examinations of corporate apathy, the dangers of technology, the nature of reality, and a gripping story about your fellow crew members. You step into the shoes of a Pioneer who joins their comrades on the CICADA colony ship to leave your conflict-ridden home planet behind in search of greener pastures.

In typical Subnautica fashion, things don’t really go according to plan, and you’re stranded on a planet that’s more water than land. While that isn’t too bad on its own, this one’s trying to take over your mind, and you’re also left relying on a digital AI assistant from Alterra, the corporation that sponsors your trip, that seems to have plans of its own, although it’s too early to tell what those might be.

Of course, every run you take on is going to help you discover that your trip might have been ill-fated from the very start, and each new discovery brings more lore and world-building to the table in a way that has you constantly questioning your own assumptions. It helps that some of those discoveries are downright unsettling, and the story does a great job of leaving you wanting more.

However, the fact that Subnautica 2 goes harder than its predecessors is only a part of why it’s such an addictive experience. Its story is facilitated by your own diligence in exploring the planet that it takes place on, and as such, the world you’re engaging with is our next stop in our examination of what makes this one so irresistible.

A Hostile Working Environment

Even in its Early Access version, there’s a staggering amount of flora and fauna to discover in Subnautica 2, while the environments and biome variety are also quite great for what’s clearly a fraction of what the full release is intended to look like. We’ve already been to poison swamps and volcanic areas that have geysers you do NOT want to walk into at the wrong moment, lest you learn a lesson you’re not likely to forget the hard way. That’s exactly what we did, just so that you don’t have to.

But of course, curiosity is the driving force behind Subnautica 2. It’s designed to have you thinking about your personal goals within the planet’s exploratory framework, while every run gives you enough tidbits from the overarching story to keep you hooked. It helps that the crafting systems have been refined, and that most of the stuff you pick up has uses in multiple recipes. If you’re a hoarder, this one is going to have you very happy indeed.

The base building feature is another improvement over the previous games, and it’s now so intuitive that it’s become an important part of our time with the game. We’d have loved to have our buddies visit our bases when diving into multiplayer, but that’s not a part of things at the moment. It is what it is. However, making your base the best it can be feels so rewarding, thanks to a lot of options to make it your own personal showcase of the hours you’ve put into the game.

Granted, the early access version’s red walls limit how much of the planet you’re going to be visiting until future updates come along, but the chunk of it that’s currently on offer is a great showcase of better things to come, given that there’s no reason to be pessimistic about the quality of future content in this one. You might say that everything we’ve said about the planet you’re exploring is kind of taken for granted in any open-world survival title, and you’d be right.

But Subnautica 2 gets you so invested in the alien planet in a way that makes you feel like you’re a part of it, for better or worse. That every discovery builds narrative tension while dishing out new ways to engage with the world makes this planet a must-see destination for players who like survival titles or melancholic and deeply unsettling stories. Take your pick.

Lonely, But Not Alone

We’ve spoken at length about the single-player experience, but the addition of co-op multiplayer with up to three Pioneers is among the biggest and most welcome changes that Subnautica 2 brings to the franchise’s formula.

The often lonely and suffocating nature of the solo experience makes way for a cooperative gameplay loop that works very well within the game’s framework, while progression gets quite quick when you work together as a team.

It’s good that there’s a distinction between the solo experience and multiplayer since it strikes a balance between the disquieting solitude of solo runs while letting those of you who are just there to wet your feet bring some much-needed company along. It’s a nice way to weave in some player agency in how the experience is approached, while playing comes with its own ways to make the game your own.

The ability to add mutations to your character to give yourself unique abilities sets up the scope for solid build potential later down the line, while vehicles like the Tadpole are solid, but have yet to show us their full potential.

We’ll be the first to admit that Subnautica 2 isn’t perfect, but we’d ask you to remember that this is the first step in a long journey. And it’s one that has so many more milestones to its completion, and a lot of ground to cover.

The Search For A Better Future

Subnautica 2 might have had a release that most Early Access titles would dream of, but we’re afraid its challenges are just beginning. Just like how it expects its Pioneers to bring their best to each run, every update from the developers needs to sustain the momentum gained from the release build.

The lack of more content is definitely among the most prevalent complaints, and it’s one that carries the risk of fatigue and players dropping off the game as other titles compete for their attention. Although the franchise’s value offsets that risk, it needs to navigate the game’s future with precision.

Subnautica 2’s release build feels like everything comes with a ceiling that you can’t help but feel at every turn, the knowledge of its existence making you wonder just how much you can get out of the world within the red walls that are holding you back from the rest of the planet. It’s how the game breaks that ceiling, and how well it manages to do so over multiple updates that will decide if this one can be the best one in the franchise yet.

Other noteworthy fixes include crashes that could occur when getting disconnected from a multiplayer game or when randomly exploring the late-game region. Epic settings on PC should also yield improved performance, and as promised, Unknown Worlds has revamped its previously controversial Terms of Service.

These include changes to sections relating to Gameplay Videos, Limitation of Liability, Prohibited Uses, and more, which the developer has changed to reflect how it collects and shares the player’s information.

Furthermore, players can now turn off analytics at any time. There’s even a callout to alert them to the same. You’ll need to re-accept the Terms of Service, and they should be effective “immediately or, if required, at the end of any notice period where you live.”

If this doesn’t sound like a massive content drop or such, get used to it, because this is how the developer handles early access. Check out its roadmap for more details on what’s coming up, and read our review on whether it’s worth diving into Subnautica 2 right now.

Subnautica 2 Early Access Hotfix 2

• Added more Silver resource areas in early game region
• Added more Troilite resource areas in late game region
• Adjusted Hammerhead behavior so they are no longer as attracted to Tadpole lights.
• This previously resulted in Hammerheads following players, even back to their bases, and hanging out there trying to reach the Tadpole
• Fixed a bug where players could occasionally be teleported back to their base while exploring in a Tadpole
• Fixed an infinite oxygen bug after a player died of hunger or thirst while piloting a Tadpole
• Resolved a crash that could occur when losing connection from a multiplayer game
• Fixed a crash that could occur randomly in the late game region
• Improved performance when using Epic visual settings
• Added callout to let players know that telemetry can be turned off at any time from settings
  – This callout is only available in English and will be translated in the next patch
• Implemented some changes to the Terms of Service
  – Revised sections include Preamble, Limited License, Gameplay Videos, Prohibited Uses, Ownership, Section Title, Player-Submitted Content, Limitation of Liability, Transfer of Terms and Conditions
• Implemented some changes to the Privacy Policy
  – Revised sections include Privacy Notice, What Information Do We Collect, How We Share Your Information, Security of Your Information

Executive producer Fernando Melo said in a press release, “We’re incredibly grateful for the response from players around the world. Seeing millions of players dive into this new world during Early Access has been an incredible moment for the team. Community feedback continues to help shape the future of Subnautica 2, and we’re excited to keep building the experience together with our players.”

Of course, it’s also available on Game Pass via Game Preview for Xbox Series X/S and PC, so the total number of players could be even higher. On Steam alone, Subnautica 2’s lifetime peak concurrent player count has utterly demolished the original, standing at 467,582. While the numbers have certainly dropped since then, a 24-hour peak of 141,718 concurrent players is still impressive.

The only downside to all this, at least for fans, is that this is only the beginning of a long early access period. Unknown Worlds estimates that at least two years before 1.0 is ready, though plans can and will change. Just recently, it acknowledged complaints about being unable to kill the various hostile fish roaming the seas of Proteus.

Don’t expect weapons anytime soon, but it is working to balance creature behavior and improve player mitigation tools to ensure less frustrating interactions. How these will fit into the existing roadmap remains to be seen, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out our thoughts on the early access version.

Among the player restrictions defined by the EULA are a ban on using VPNs, an ownership of any mods that might be developed for the survival crafting game, and even a ban on players from bringing “harm” to the “reputation” of Krafton or Subnautica 2.

Players can breathe a sigh of relief thanks to the promise of changes to the game’s Terms of Service, as well as a new FAQ that will address concerns that players have been feeling with the current EULA, in the “near future”. It is worth noting, however, that Unknown Worlds hasn’t quite offered any further details about how its Terms of Service will be changing.

“Adjustments to the Terms of Service and a FAQ addressing concerns with the current version will be rolled out in the near future,” wrote the studio at the bottom of its patch notes.

As for the update itself, it also brings in a fix for crashes that can be caused when using the Ping feature. Interestingly, the game also automatically enables analytics tracking after players have read and agreed to the Terms of Service. However, the analytics tracking can also be turned off at any time from the in-game settings menu.

In the meantime, Unknown Worlds has also been facing some criticism from players over Subnautica 2 not providing players with any way to take on its underwater fauna in combat. Discussing the topic on the game’s official Discord server, one level designer said that players who want to kill things should go play another survival crafting game, like Sons of the Forest, and that Subnautica 2 is not a “killing game”.

“We aren’t a killing game,” wrote the level designer. “Go play Sons of the Forest or something if you want to kill.”

As one might imagine, this response has led to further heated conversations about what defines appropriate feedback over some players just being upset over a game’s design ethos. While some players took to the game’s subreddit to ask “What’s the point of Early Access if you’re just going to not take criticism or feedback,” others have noted that “‘We want your feedback” is not the same thing as ‘we will cave to every request you make’,” they wrote. “If everyone went to the Early Access and was like ‘we want it to be an FPS, but like set the game on Earth in the modern day’, would they be in the wrong to say ‘go play [Call of Duty] instead’?”

Subnautica 2 Early Access Hotfix 1 patch notes:

• Updated the crash-on-startup error pop-up for AMD graphics cards and DirectX 12 issues to provide more guidance and support
• Fixed an infrequent crash related to the Ping feature
• Enabled analytics only after accepting Terms of Service
• Reduced the amount of data being sent to backend services

Biobed #1

Head south-west from the Lifepod until you come across the wreckage of what looks like a wing about 20m down. Turn around until it’s to your north and look down for the entrance to a bunker. Use the Biobed, rather than just Scan it, in order to receive the ‘Endurance Adapted, Inventory Expanded’ benefit.

Biobed #2

Dive south-east of the Lifepod, going past the Welcome Center to your right. You will pass a pair of small pillars on your left with another one looming large further ahead on the right. Keep your distance as you face the large pillar so that it is to the south-west, and then look for a cave entrance about 40m down. You can also access this cave from the base of the pillar itself. Through the cave and to the right is another bunker with a Biobed and Endurance Adaptation.

Biobed #3

Journey about 200m to the north-east of the Lifepod until you come to a large chasm, then about-face to the south-west. You should be able to see the entrance to a cave clearly lit by a beacon around 30m under the surface. Head inside and to the left to find a third bunker with a Biobed and Endurance Adaptation.

Biobed #4

Note that this upgrade will require the Heat Tolerance Adaptation in order to access the general location.

Proceed due east of the Lifepod for just over 450m, going right past the glowing red pillars on your right until you encounter the wreckage of a gigantic chassis. Facing the wreck so that it is at 150 degrees, submerge to about 80 odd meters to find the entry point inside. Make a left into the first hallway, and left again into the first side room to find the fourth and final Biobed with an Endurance Adaptation.

By this point you ought to have 32 inventory slots in all.

Biobed #5

Head in the direction of 15 degrees from the Lifepod, going just past the weird four armed sculpture/organism to your left. Abruptly turn to the north-west and notice the platform about 35m down. Further to its left is a cave opening that goes straight down. At the bottom it will be difficult to orient yourself in this labyrinth, but try to proceed into an opening going north-west at 70m down. Once through, turn to the south-west to see the familiar glow of a bunker opening at about 85m down, with a Biobed and your first Dexterity Adaptation which improves Tool Quick-Access.

Biobed #6

The second and only remaining Dexterity Adaptation also requires the Heat Tolerance Adaptation in order to reach its general location.

Dive south-east of the Lifepod, continuing right past the familiar location of the bunker housing Biobed #1 beneath the large pillar. Keep going until you can submerge further below 50m into the fiery orange depths. Turn to the north-east and look for an underwater crevasse about 85m down. Once inside, make a quick left to find the bunker entrance at 90m underwater, with the last Biobed and its Dexterity Adaptation.

Those are the locations of all 4 Endurance Adaptations and 2 Dexterity Adaptations for maximizing the number of both inventory slots and tool quick-access slots in Subnautica 2.