Publisher Krafton shared some interesting details on the long-awaited Subnautica 2 earlier today, and it has since walked back a lot of those interesting details as developer Unknown Worlds rushes to calm fans who were terrified to hear the sequel would adopt a "games-as-a-service" model.
A now-modified slide in Krafton's latest earnings report raised some alarms among Subnautica fans. Firstly, it called it a 1-4-player co-op project with a "games-as-a-service" bend, and one positioned as a key 2024 title at that. Subnautica is a beloved single-player survival series with no live service or monetization bloat, so fans quickly started spiraling in the wake of this news.
While Krafton was busy editing its presentation, Unknown Worlds put out a statement to calm the waters. I've attached the whole thing below, but I do want to get the big line up front: "No season passes. No battle passes. No subscription."
"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.
"As always, we are so proud and incredibly grateful to have such a passionate and engaged community, who love the Subnautica games deeply.
"Thanks for keeping an eye out for any news about our progress on the next game. We’re so excited to show you what we’ve been working on and hope that you love it as much as we do."
It's been a while since I've seen a game's community go from calm to full-on tailspin and then back to calm within just a few hours. It goes to show just how hungry survival game fans can get, even if the genre is absolutely booming right now.
Fans have been prepping their subs for the next Subnautica, which is officially Subnautica 2 with Below Zero positioned as a side story, for ages.
