In the latest chapter of the Krafton-Unknown Worlds legal saga, Subnautica 2's Steam Early Access launch is now set for May 14. Recent court orders restored studio control amid ongoing battles over firings and a $250 million bonus, with developers highlighting added content but lamenting delayed player feedback.
Subnautica 2's Early Access will hit Steam on May 14, following a judge's recent order for Krafton to return launch decisions to Unknown Worlds—building on the March Chancery Court ruling that reinstated former CEO Ted Gill and addressed improper firings and control seizures.
Developer interviews with Polygon and Eurogamer on April 30 detailed how Krafton allegedly leaked the date in March post-court loss, fired project leads (now facing reinstatement), and briefly removed itself from the Steam page. Studio leads Anthony Gallegos and Scott MacDonald affirmed continued co-publishing with Krafton, downplaying the Steam page glitch: 'We're co-publishing the game [with Krafton],' said Gallegos. MacDonald added, 'Krafton are still very much helping us with the launch.'
Gallegos credited the delay—originally eyed for late 2025—for 'significantly more content,' calling it the studio's 'most robust early access launch.' However, it delayed vital community feedback. The game launches with four-player co-op, reworked creature AI and inventories to maintain the original's tension; internal tests confirmed co-op amplifies scares. No generative AI was used, per MacDonald: 'It's all traditional person-done,' despite Krafton's AI focus. A new cinematic trailer was released alongside the announcement.
