Subnautica 2 Early Access announced for May following CEO's return to studio. After a milestone review, studio head Steve Papoutsis said the team has "full confidence" in delivering an experience "players will love." Posted By Ravi Sinha | On 18th, Mar. 2026 Unknown Worlds Entertainment and Krafton have announced that Subnautica 2 will enter early access in May, as reported by IGN. It will be playable for Xbox Series X/S via Game Preview and PC via Steam Early Access and the Epic Games Store. Studio head Steve Papoutsis recently thanked the team and its partners in a new statement. "Over the past nine months, you have worked incredibly hard to bring Subnautica 2 close to the finish line. That effort has resulted in a game we are truly proud of, one that each of us and our partners at Krafton unanimously determined is ready for Early Access release in May." The additional time following its delay last year has allowed for more story chapters, new biomes, creatures, and "many other features." "With this significant progress, we have passed Krafton's milestone review last week and are now ready to start our open development journey alongside our community. We have full confidence that we have reached a point where we can deliver an experience our players will love." Regarding Ted Gill, who was recently reinstated as CEO following a court order, Papoutsis said, "We look forward to working with Ted Gill to support a smooth transition and work toward a successful launch. Our priority is getting this game into the hands of the community that has been eagerly waiting for it - and that means honoring the work you have already done to make that possible." The decision comes shortly after Delaware Chancery Court Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will ruled that Krafton fired Gill and co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire without valid cause. Alongside reinstatement, he also has authority over the game's early access release. The trio is also entitled to the previous $250 million payout that Krafton agreed on with its acquisition of the studio, provided it hits certain goals. That seems a given, especially with reports that Subnautica 2 is the most wishlisted game on Steam, beating out the likes of Forza Horizon 6 and Resident Evil Requiem. For more details on what Unknown Worlds has been working on, check out the new Leviathan here. You can also learn about multiplayer and base-building, with the latter receiving numerous improvements. Follow Gamingbolt: Games you May like. Publisher:Bandai Namco Developer:FromSoftware Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC Publisher:Konami Developer:Konami, Virtuos Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PC Publisher:Sony Developer:Kojima Productions Platforms:PS5

Subnautica 2 studio CEO reinstated by judge, who says Krafton fired "without valid Cause" Ted Gill will have "authority over the early access", and all the fired co-founders are again eligible for the promised $250 million payout. Posted By Ravi Sinha | On 16th, Mar. 2026 Almost a year after Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill (alongside co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire) was fired by Krafton, a Delaware Chancery Court judge has ordered his reinstatement. Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will stated, "Judgment is entered in favor of Fortis [which represents the Unknown Worlds founders] on its Phase One claims. Krafton breached the EPA by terminating the Key Employees without valid Cause and by improperly seizing operational control of Unknown Worlds." The "resolution" from Krafton's board on July 1st, 2025, has been "declared ineffective to the extent it infringes on Gill's operational control right." Not only will Gill be reinstated, but he'll once again have "authority over the early access launch of Subnautica 2" with the publisher enjoined from firing him. If that wasn't enough, all of the cofounders are again liable to collect the bonuses from the $250 million payout promised by Krafton as part of its agreement to acquire Unknown Worlds. The payout collection period has been extended through to September 15th (with room for further extension, if necessary). Why did the court rule in favor of the co-founders? Originally, Krafton fired them for wanting to release Subnautica 2 into early access when it was deemed not ready. However, it later blamed them for "abandoning" Unknown Worlds for other projects and even accused them of stealing confidential data. According to court documents (as outlined by Kotaku), "Krafton's newly manufactured justifications for the terminations are pretextual. Cleveland and McGuire had taken on limited roles, but that was long known to and accepted by Krafton. As for the data downloads, the former employees were acting to protect the studio's work product amid Krafton's takeover attempt. They kept the data confidential and promptly returned it. "The earnout formula is highly leveraged. If Unknown Worlds surpasses a revenue threshold of $69.8 million, Krafton must pay $3.12 for each additional dollar of revenue generated, up to the $250 million cap." If released by Q4 2025 and selling more than 1.67 million (by its models), the studio would have earned a total payout of $191.8 million (though $242.2 million would have been the "best-case scenario"). "These figures immediately captured the attention of [Krafton] CEO [Changhan] Kim," wrote the judge. "Kim, who had personally led the acquisition of Unknown Worlds, felt that Krafton had overpaid. He feared that making an earnout payment would earn him a reputation as a 'pushover.'" Thus began its campaign, dubbed "Project X," to fire the trio, including consulting with ChatGPT. Hilariously, even the latter advised it would be "difficult to cancel the earnout." Of course, this is only Phase One, and the court has yet to rule on any monetary damages. In a statement to Kotaku, Krafton said it "respectfully" disagreed with the recent ruling and is focused on "pushing out the newly updated version" of Subnautica 2 to players "as soon as possible." "Krafton puts players at the heart of every decision, and that will never change. Over the past several months, Krafton and the Unknown Worlds team have worked tirelessly to strengthen the game and prepare it for an Early Access release, with a continued focus on delivering the best possible experience for the Subnautica community. Gamingbolt look forward to pushing out the newly updated version as soon as possible for players. "While we respectfully disagree with today's ruling, we are evaluating our options as we determine our path forward. Today's ruling does not resolve the former executives' claim for damages or an earnout related to Subnautica 2, with further litigation still pending. In the meantime, Krafton's immediate focus remains unchanged: delivering the best possible game to Subnautica's fans." Amid all this, Subnautica 2 is currently planned to launch in 2026 for Xbox Series X/S (via Game Preview) and PC. It will also be available on day one for Game Pass. Follow Gamingbolt: Games you may like. Publisher:Bandai Namco Developer:FromSoftware Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PC Publisher:Konami Developer:Konami, Virtuos Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PC Publisher:Sony Developer:Kojima Productions Platforms:PS5

Subnautica 2 - creative base tree with a modular construction approach. March 14, 2026 Unknown Worlds today unveils an enhanced base-building system for Subnautica 2, introducing a modular construction approach. This offers players greater freedom in designing and expanding their underwater habitats. The new system utilizes Unreal Engine 5 and features modular construction tools, allowing players to build and expand their underwater bases piece by piece. This approach offers greater flexibility for both exterior structures and interior layouts, enabling customization of elements such as windows, corridors, and other details. This allows for the creation of a wide variety of structures, from compact survival shelters to expansive underwater habitats and exploration centers. The feature is showcased in the latest Subnautica 2 developer vlog, where the development team explains the design philosophy behind the system and demonstrates how the tools function in the game. In the video, Kiel McDonald, Head of Base Design, and Carolyn Lu, Engineer, offer insights into the creative and technical process behind developing a system that gives players more control over how their underwater bases evolve throughout their journey. "The establishment of bases is of fundamental importance for Subnautica as a franchise," says Anthony Gallegos, Design Lead at Unknown Worlds. "With Subnautica 2, we wanted to offer players more ways to express themselves and opted for a sculptural base-building system that offers far more flexibility than anything we've done before. We're really excited to see what players create and how they push the system to its limits." The developer vlog also showcases the system in multiplayer mode, demonstrating how players can collaborate to build complex underwater bases. Subnautica 2 introduces optional cooperative gameplay for up to four players, allowing friends to build, explore, and survive together. Subnautica 2 ist der neueste Teil der Subnautica-Reihe. Das Spiel versetzt Spieler in eine völlig neue fremde Welt innerhalb des Subnautica-Universums und bietet neue Ökosysteme, modulare Fahrzeuge und kooperatives Gameplay, während mit Unreal Engine 5 das für die Reihe typische Erkundungs- und Überlebenserlebnis zum Leben erweckt wird. Das Spiel soll 2026 für PC und Xbox Series-Konsolen im Early Access erscheinen. Unknown Worlds veröffentlicht weiterhin Updates durch die laufende Entwickler-Vlog-Reihe, in der wichtige Spielsysteme und Meilensteine der Entwicklung vorgestellt werden. Subnautica Below Zero PS5