A new Subnautica game was leaked this November, having been spotted in a financial report before it could be officially unveiled. Now, developer Unknown Worlds has confirmed that Subnautica 2 is on the way, and that we might not have to wait too much longer for some news on the project.
In a short message, the devs say they're aware that fans want more information, and that they will be able to share more in the new year. More specifically, we're told that details on the game's early access period will be shared in 2024, with the game previously listed as launching in early 2025.
Ooooof, why again with this Early Access bs?! Didn't they already make enough money to release something "normally" in 3-4 years? Hate waiting for full release and occasionally stumble on some spoiler from people playing the EA...
Subnautica ended up becoming one of my favourite games, but I'm afraid the perfect alchemy that was achieved in that title will be complicated (if not impossible) to recreate - especially after Below Zero that turned the subtle and mysterious exploration-based narrative style into a pseudo-Disneyan carousel for the masses. I hope the devs will go back to the uncompromised original style, though they desperately need to hire a competent writer again as well as an audio director on par with the one who was fired for not being P.C. enough.
konkol84 wrote:
Below Zero is considered Subnautica 2?
I'd say it's more like Subnautica 0.5 with walking sim sessions that no one asked for, among other things
Subnautica: Below Zero is more like a big DLC. It (in one form or another) was originally supposed to be part of the main game but the developers soon realised the game was way too big and thus it was cut out from the main game.
"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one's own understanding without another's guidance. This nonage is self-imposed if its cause lies not in lack of understanding but in indecision and lack of courage to use one's own mind without another's guidance. Dare to know! (Sapere aude.) "Have the courage to use your own understanding," is therefore the motto of the enlightenment."
Edit:
There's an update from the devs after the shitstorm, it sounds more reassuring:
Quote:
Hello Subnauts,
A few of you noticed some information shared online by our publisher, KRAFTON
While some of the news is exciting, we’d like to clarify:
- Early Access is not intended for release in 2024, but we plan to share a lot more information later this year!
- In reference to “Games-as-a-Service,” we simply plan to continually update the game for many years to come, just like the previous two Subnautica games. Think our Early Access update model, expanded. No season passes. No battle passes. No subscription.
- The game is not multiplayer-focused. Co-op will be an entirely optional way to play the game. You’ll be able to enjoy the game as a single-player.
At the start of the year, we shared a few details about Subnautica 2. But we’re sure you still have many questions about the next game in the Subnautica universe.
Which is why we’d love to hear from you all.
Wherever you see this posted, reply with what you’d most like to know about Subnautica 2! While we won’t be able to answer everything immediately (no spoilers 🤫), we’ll do our best to answer as many questions as possible in our upcoming posts.
Don’t forget to follow us on all our social channels and join the official Discord to ensure you’re one of the first to hear the latest Subnautica news!
Honestly, I imagine I could have a lot of fun playing the first game in coop. If they focus on SP and just add Coop on top, that's not bad at all.
"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one's own understanding without another's guidance. This nonage is self-imposed if its cause lies not in lack of understanding but in indecision and lack of courage to use one's own mind without another's guidance. Dare to know! (Sapere aude.) "Have the courage to use your own understanding," is therefore the motto of the enlightenment."
A fine example of a huge publisher buying an independent studio and decide to change EVERYTHING and enforce company policies on the studio. Of course people left when they no longer had autonomy and instead became slaves to the corporation. It will be released (sometime) but they've cut a LOT of content (2 whole biomes).
Unknown Worlds is following the same fate as soooo many other great developers/studios over the past 2-3 decades. EA is the most notorious publisher that bought studios and then shut them down or in some cases turned them into sweat shops for revenue reasons. Microsoft is doing the same thing now and Bethesda did it before they were bought by Microsoft.
Quote:
Unknown Worlds sold to Krafton in 2021 for $500 million, with an additional $250 million due if certain revenue targets were met by the end of 2025.
The sale was reportedly driven by financial considerations, as the studio needed more funds and the deal allowed them to focus on game development without the burden of managing business operations.
However, the founders of Unknown Worlds have since filed a lawsuit against Krafton, alleging that the company sabotaged the development of Subnautica 2 to avoid paying the $250 million earnout.
The lawsuit claims that Krafton breached the terms of the acquisition agreement by taking control of the studio and delaying the release of the game.
The situation has escalated into a legal battle, with the founders seeking the full $250 million payout, plus interest and legal fees
I don't know who's right but I'm strongly leaning towards Krafton becoming an overbearing control-freaking owner.
RIP Unknown Worlds, one of the last independent studios that make AA+ quality games.
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