Subnautica 2's Early Access Release Delayed To 2026 Amid Developer Drama

Subnautica 2 is 1 of nan astir highly anticipated games around. It's nan second-most wishlisted crippled connected Steam down (you guessed it) Hollow Knight: Silksong. However, you'll request to hold longer than anticipated to effort Subnautica 2 in four-player co-op, arsenic nan endurance game's early entree merchandise has been delayed until early 2026.

Developer Unknown Worlds said that organization members who took portion successful playtests provided affirmative feedback astir nan story, creatures, situation and wide guidance of nan game. However, the workplace said, they "also provided immoderate penetration that location are a fewer areas wherever we needed to amended earlier launching nan first type of Subnautica 2 to nan world. Our organization is astatine nan bosom of really we develop, truthful we want to springiness ourselves a small other clip to respond to much of that feedback earlier releasing nan crippled into early access. With that successful mind, we’ve made nan determination to hold Subnautica 2’s early entree merchandise to 2026."

The hold will spend Unknown Worlds a chance to adhd much biomes, tools, conveyance upgrades and creatures while expanding nan story, nan workplace said. Players tin expect much specifications successful nan coming months.

But news of nan hold comes amid behind-the-scenes play astatine Unknown Worlds. Bloomberg reports that nan workplace had been successful statement for a $250 cardinal prize (which nan activity group planned to stock pinch employees) from Krafton if it deed gross goals by nan extremity of this year. The hold reportedly intends Unknown Worlds is very improbable to deed those targets. As such, Bloomberg's sources propose that intends nan squad of astir 100 group whitethorn not beryllium eligible for nan payout.

Last week, Krafton — which bought Unknown Worlds successful 2021 — turfed retired nan studio's activity squad of CEO Ted Gill and co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire. The patient brought in Steve Papoutsis, a erstwhile executive astatine The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance, arsenic nan caller CEO of Unknown Worlds.

"There is thing much important than nan gamer experience. Given nan anticipation astir Subnautica 2, we beryllium our players thing little than nan champion imaginable game, arsenic soon arsenic possible," Krafton CEO CH Kim said successful a statement, "We are thrilled Steve is joining america successful our shared committedness astatine Krafton and Unknown Worlds to present Subnautica 2 arsenic a much complete and satisfying introduction successful nan bid — 1 that genuinely lives up to subordinate expectations."

Per Bloomberg, Papoutsis told labor this week that Krafton didn't judge Subnautica 2 was fresh for an early entree merchandise and claimed he didn't cognize nan specifics of nan statement regarding nan quarter-billion-dollar bonus. "It’s ne'er been told to maine that we’re making this alteration specifically to effect immoderate earnout aliases thing for illustration that," he reportedly told staff.

According to Cleveland, however, Subnautica 2 is really "ready for early entree release." The studio's co-founder wrote successful a lengthy X station connected July 5 that "while we thought this was going to beryllium our determination to make, astatine slightest for now, that determination is successful Krafton’s hands."

A Krafton spokesperson told Eurogamer that nan determination to hold Subnautica 2 was "based solely connected our committedness to value and to delivering nan champion imaginable acquisition for players" and it was not "influenced by immoderate contractual aliases financial considerations." They added that "the determination had already been nether chat anterior to caller activity changes astatine nan studio."