Subnautica 2 was recently released in "early access" format. Shortly before the launch, the developers held a closed presentation for the press, during which lead game designer Anthony Gallego and Unknown Worlds Entertainment media manager Scott McDonald spoke about the project.
The game's creators remained true to their non-violent stance. One manifestation of their vision was "bloom." Gallego explained that such a phenomenon would affect and irritate local fauna.
The color of the water in affected areas will become muted, creatures will become more aggressive – this is due to "bloom," not because they are "bad." According to the developer, combating this phenomenon will be one of the players' main goals.
The creators of Subnautica 2 also shared that during development they collected feedback and some fans persistently asked to add weapons:
There was one country, which I won't name, where the overwhelming majority wanted to engage in weapon manufacturing. And I thought: "Guys, I think the original Subnautica made a completely different impression on players than a video game about weapon manufacturing."
The first reviews of Subnautica 2 on Steam are "very positive," with a rating of 92% — the initial online peak exceeded 467 thousand players. The new game is expected to spend about 2-3 years in early access, with developers adding new features and content.