Buddies and better base building: Previewing Subnautica 2’s newly launched early access

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Survival. Subnautica is certainly about survival. However, that is just the surface; survival supports and enhances the true core of the game, exploration. The tension of what could be around the next corner (terror? treasure?) made the game exciting. Unfortunately, Subnautica was still missing something: companions. Now, Subnautica 2 is remedying that flaw.

In a pre-launch showcase ahead of today’s Early Access release, Unknown Worlds’ Lead Game Designer Anthony Gallegos and Creative Media Producer Scott MacDonald showed off gameplay and shared the launch roadmap and vision behind Subnautica 2. And the official word is exploration is indeed key, but base-building and playing with buddies also rank right up there.

Note from the editors: Prior to today’s Subnautica 2 early access, Krafton filed a false DMCA claim against our tweet of our article that covered Unknown Worlds’ confirmation about the Subnautica 2 leak. Of course, neither our article nor our tweet included the actual leak and in fact expressly stated the leak had been taken down already, using the exact same sources IGN used. We obviously did not violate anyone’s copyright, and Krafton knows this. DMCA abuse of legitimate indie journalistic outlets covering “things that happened” probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do the day before launch. Perhaps ChatGPT told them to do it. We’ve decided to run MJ’s article anyway, under the assumption that Unknown Worlds had nothing to do with Krafton’s bizarre hostility. In fact, UW invited us to their preview event. Thanks, UW!

Exploring the true identity

To introduce Subnautica 2, Gallegos explained the identity of the franchise. He shared that although Subnautica is in the survival genre, the devs believe it is an exploration game at its core. In fact, the primary goal is “to try to be as unguided as possible.” He emphasized that they wanted players to feel self-directed; the fact that there is no quest log leading folks is very much an intentional choice.

Gallegos told me that when making a sequel, the team believes it’s important to them to not alienate the core audience. So for Subnautica 2, players will be getting more of what they want: more of the same, but different. This is not a dichotomy. More of same means more alien worlds to explore starting with immediate survival like before, and different is a whole new world with a completely new story (where are all the planet’s original inhabitants?), new creatures (which have added interactions so fauna feels more alive), and new mechanics. One of those mechanics is that the player is not automatically adapted to the world. An example: Players can’t eat anything local because it can’t be digested. In order to survive, players will have to slowly adapt by finding and utilizing a special plant — but not so slowly that they starve first! Other mechanics involve how players will deal with things, like using stealth or distractions.

And let’s not forget one of the most important new mechanics: co-op multiplayer. Yay!

Diving in with friends

One of the big differences in Subnautica 2 is that players can finally explore the world together with friends. Four people can explore and build bases together, solving the mysteries of this alien planet. I cannot express how much I have been looking forward to this! However, the “how” of hosting is almost as intriguing as having it.

Unlike many other co-op game studios, Unknown Worlds took a different approach to hosting. Instead of there being only one permanent host with the save, each guest can make a save of the play session and fire it up again as the host themselves. They can then play solo or invite others to play and develop that save differently or continue with the same group, just as a different host. The goal was to give more freedom to the players.

Another big bonus is that progression is shared among players, meaning that anyone joining later will be caught up to the group. No more desperate scrambling to catch up to your friends with more free time than you!

Bases loaded

Besides being with buddies, another thing I am really looking forward to is the base building. Gallegos and MacDonald’s demonstration of the building features was exciting; watching rooms and furniture be stretched and bent for more customization and creativity hit me in my weak spot. The devs shared that the base system was worked on by small team for over a year to prepare it to go live.

Customization will also be available for vehicles, but not really for the hull shape; instead, players can personalize the layout and decorations of the interior of the ship.

Looking ahead

Today, Subnautica 2 opens its early access doors, but that’s only the beginning. MacDonald detailed the launch roadmap of the game: Early access starts with 12-20 hours of gameplay, with development continuing for two years. The first update will include mostly quality-of-life stuff, but the future includes expanding the world, introducing new biomes, adding new vehicles, and building new chapters into the story. Devs are also looking into a player revive system. This would be fantastic: When friends can’t help friends cheat death, they can bring them back from it!

Another early access goal is to get feedback on development. MacDonald stressed that devs did not want not want feedback from only superfans, else the game would just go toward appealing to a small group. To combat this, Unknown Worlds will also running external playtests with those who have never played before to get their feedback. The goal is to have a game great for veterans and new players alike.

We did have more questions for the devs, especially given the troubling history of the game’s development and the ongoing court cases related to it; however, questions involving anything beyond these topics and the scope of these devs’ work were not answered.