Below the thunder of the upper depths, far, far into the depths of the bottomless sea, its antique, dreamless, untouched sleep Subnautica 2 sleeps – but not for too long, as open-world survival game Unknown Worlds is set to release in Early Access next year . After yesterday’s teaser, store websites have been re-opened Couple, Epic Games Store AND Xboxshedding some more delicate on the nature of the water monster, and in particular its evolution prior to the release of version 1.0.
While nothing is guaranteed, Subnautica 2’s early access period should last until 2027 or 2028. “It’s difficult to predict exactly how long Early Access will last,” reads a note on the Steam website. “Based on the previous Early Access games we have developed, we expect this to take approximately 2 to 3 years.”
The early access version will launch with “multiplayer, several biomes, narrative, and a variety of creatures and items to craft.” During Early Access, it will be updated with “more biomes, creatures, craftable items, features, and narrative.” As with many Early Access games, the price will enhance (“and die on the surface”yes) when it comes out of early access.
“It will be imperfect, but we invite you to join us in creating a game you will be excited to play,” the developers continue. “We’ll share our thoughts, best guesses, and inevitable mistakes along the way. In return, we want to hear from you! You will receive our full, undivided attention. Your opinion is very important to us and will decide the future of Subnautica 2.”
I once wrote a Making-Of for the original Subnautica. One detail that stuck with me from these interviews was that the game’s prized “accidental horror” status was formed in response to YouTube viewing of the Early Access build, and in particular the vociferous reactions to the Reaper, a nightmarish leviathan that loves to capture your thoughts. A Seamoth submarine in pincers, making you stare at its grinning jaws as it lunges. The developers then made changes to enhance terror and credited this as the main reason for Subnautica’s success.
I wonder if something similar will happen here. In particular, the issue that Unknown Worlds needs to get past Early Access is ensuring that the game’s multiplayer doesn’t interfere with the single-player experience. I suspect there will be a few complaints from fans who will try to link the problems to, say, the difficulty curve or the distribution of resources in a game “secretly designed for multiplayer.”
The second obvious question is how much Unknown Worlds has learned from the great Subnautica: Below Zero expansion, which isn’t nearly as well-loved despite being hailed by Brendy as “the perfect continuation of the series.” As a die-hard thalassophobe, I trust Unknown Worlds to put it all together. But I’m also glad they’re giving themselves enough time in Early Access to figure it out.
