The underwater survival game Subnautica 2 successfully launched in early access, but from a PR perspective, the game encountered problems. The developers allowed themselves inappropriate statements when communicating with players.
Unknown Worlds Entertainment drew conclusions and recently apologized:
We understand that some recent statements from our team have made players feel ignored or dismissed. We apologize for this. Early Access should be a dialogue with players, not one-sided explanations from the development team. Your feedback is important, and we don't want any part of our communication to give the community the opposite impression.
The developers of Subnautica 2 confirmed that they are currently working on improving creature behavior and player protection. Planned changes will affect: creature aggression trigger time, aggro radius, effectiveness of flares and survival tools, as well as creature interactions with vehicles and bases. These changes are expected "in a series of upcoming patches."
In addition, the creators of Subnautica 2 heard "persistent requests" to add more direct ways to combat hostile creatures to the game, including the ability to kill them:
We understand where this wish comes from. When avoidance and deterrence tools seem ineffective, it's natural for players to want a more decisive outcome. Our current course is not based on condemning players who want a combat system, nor is it because we consider these players wrong. Subnautica has always been built around vulnerability, exploration, and survival, not traditional weapon-based combat. We believe this is what makes the game unique. However, this design approach only works when encounters with creatures feel fair, understandable, and engaging. We now understand that we still have a lot of work to do to achieve this.
The developers of Subnautica 2 did not specify approximate release dates for the planned updates for the game.