The long-awaited underwater survival game Subnautica 2 will be playable as an early access title on May 14. This sequel was first announced over four years ago, but some serious legal drama seems to have held things up.
This is actually the third entry in the franchise, following the original Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero. Just like the other games, Subnautica 2 is an exploration-focused survival sim set primarily underwater. This one's set on a new planet and introduces co-op support for up to four players. It's also extremely easy on the eyes.
Unknown Worlds and Krafton are co-publishing the title, which comes after a drawn out legal battle. Krafton purchased the Subnautica creator back in 2021 and development for the sequel seemed to be going fine until last year, when thecompany delayed the early access and fired key Unknown Worlds executives.
The contract that covered Krafton's purchase of Unknown Worlds stipulated that executives and staff would share in a $250 million bonus if they could hit certain revenue targets by 2025. By delaying the early access of Subnautica 2, however, those revenue targets could not be reached.
According to a pre-trial brief, Krafton CEO Changham Kim allegedly nixed the payout because it would be embarrassing and make him look like a "pushover." He also reportedly consulted ChatGPT to ask about ways to avoid paying the bonus.
The legal battle extended into March of this year, when a judge ordered Krafton to rehire fired CEO Ted Gill. This led to the company promising the early access title would be released in May. The court has also extended the revenue window for Unknown Worlds employees to receive part of that $250 million bonus until September 17, with an option for developers to extend even further to March 15, 2027.
It's hard to believe that we'll actually be able to play this thing in just two weeks. It's worth noting, however, that the original Subnautica was in early access for a full three years before it got a proper release.
