Subnautica 2 dev says "go play Sons of the Forest" if you don't like its lack of violence

Now that Subnautica 2 is finally here, fans are craving what they cannot have: violence. But, developer Unknown Worlds is not exactly keen on letting players take on the sea's terrifying creatures in combat.

Neither Subnautica nor its sequel allows players to kill the underwater beasts – I'm looking at you, Leviathan – that haunt their every move. Unsurprisingly, folks aren't exactly pleased about that. It is a survival game, after all, and other genre giants allow them to tackle their most formidable foes.

So, what should the people who yearn for fair violence in Subnautica 2 do? Well, Unknown Worlds' answer to that is simple: go play other games instead.

Over on the game's official Discord server, one level designer's response seems to imply as much, anyway. Replying to a fan asking why we can't kill in Subnautica 2 – and saying that if Unknown Worlds doesn't allow for it, perhaps modders will one day – the developer shoots back, "We aren't a killing game. Go play Sons of the Forest or something if you want to kill."

Oof – it's a comment that hasn't exactly landed well within the community.

Players try to explain to the dev that this logic makes no sense as they feel they've got no way to properly defend their bases and such from the sea's relentless creatures – but that's not all. The conversation has moved elsewhere, too, as fans share their disappointment in Unknown Worlds' answer to the question.

One person over on Reddit asks, "What kinda feedback was that?" Another adds that Early Access is pointless "if you're just going to not take criticism."

A separate thread outlines what fans dub "hypocrisy" on devs' part, with an argument that in the gaming industry, "professionalism matters."

Not everyone agrees, though.

"'We want your feedback' is not the same thing as 'we will cave to every request you make,'" as one person comments. "I really think people are desperately reaching to get upset over that Sons of the Forest comment in order to use it as leverage to get what they want," writes another.

They're not alone in thinking so. A different post sees a fan question, "Am I the only one who thinks the no killing is fine?" Replies highlight that, indeed, they are definitely not alone.

One player states, "Killing should definitely not be in the game" – and that's the sentiment I'd say Unknown Worlds seems to carry itself. After all, the devs did previously explain they "feel strongly" about the sequel not being violent.

Here's hoping the studio somehow manages to please both sides of the table, though I'm not sure there's a way to really do so. Perhaps people are onto something with mods – just take a look at Nexus Mods... yep, already.

Subnautica 2 dev knows "pirates are gonna do their thing," but would rather people play for an hour "and return it than go play it illicitly."