Subnautica 2 has been one of the most hyped games lately, holding the second spot for most wishlists on Steam. However, recent layoffs at Krafton involving Unknown Worlds’ leadership have raised concerns about the game’s future.
Is Krafton Still Making Subnautica 2?
Yes, Krafton is still developing Subnautica 2. Despite the surprise layoffs, the project hasn’t been canceled. Krafton highlighted that Steve Papoutsis, the new CEO at Unknown Worlds, will focus on maintaining development momentum and delivering the best possible experience for fans.
CH Kim, Krafton’s CEO, emphasized that “there is nothing more important than the gamer experience” and promised players a quality game “as soon as possible,” given the high hopes around Subnautica 2.
Early access was planned for later this year, but it’s unclear if the recent changes will affect this timeline. According to a community letter from Unknown Worlds, the core team working day-to-day on Subnautica remains intact, including veterans of the series. Krafton also strongly supports the studio’s vision.
An updated schedule with early access details is “coming soon,” and the game will keep its single-player focus with optional co-op. Importantly, there won’t be any subscriptions, loot boxes, battle passes, or microtransactions involved.
The layoffs mainly affected Unknown Worlds’ previous leadership team: Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire.
Cleveland and McGuire founded the company 24 years ago, and Gill had been with Unknown Worlds for seven years, most recently as CEO. The rest of the development team was reportedly unaffected, which calms some of the initial community fears.
