Key Takeaways
1. Fans are urging a boycott of Subnautica 2 in response to Krafton’s firing of the original co-founders of Unknown Worlds.
2. Krafton delayed the early access release of Subnautica 2 until 2026, raising suspicions about motives related to a potential $250 million bonus for the team.
3. The subreddit post titled “DO NOT BUY SUBNAUTICA 2” is rallying the community to oppose Krafton and support the developers.
4. Mixed opinions exist within the community, with some suggesting waiting for discounts instead of outright boycotting.
5. Krafton has not provided updates on the game’s current development stage or the new early access release date.
Developed by Unknown Worlds, the initial Subnautica was launched in December 2014 and quickly gained a loyal following, maintaining an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam. In October 2024, the sequel was announced, and everything seemed to be progressing smoothly. However, recent events have caused fans to take a stand against Subnautica 2, urging gamers to refrain from purchasing the game upon its release.
Fan Reactions
A post on the Subnautica subreddit titled “DO NOT BUT SUBNAUTICA 2” encourages the community to support the developers and oppose the large corporation Krafton by not buying the sequel.
For background, Krafton took control of Unknown Worlds in October 2021. The team was actively working on Subnautica 2, and after the teaser in October 2024, excitement among fans was high. In April of this year, Design Lead Anthony Gallegos provided an update on the game, inviting fans as they approached early access. Up until this point, all seemed well.
Major Changes
The trouble for the upcoming game began when Krafton unexpectedly fired the original co-founders of Unknown Worlds—Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire—earlier this month without any clear explanation. Following this, Cleveland posted on Reddit stating that Subnautica 2 was prepped for early access, despite the recent layoffs. Nevertheless, Krafton announced a delay for early access until 2026 in order to incorporate additional content. Later reports revealed that the Unknown Worlds team could have earned a $250 million bonus if the game met specific revenue goals by year-end. This led fans to suspect that the delay was aimed at preventing the bonus payout, resulting in the Reddit petition advocating for a boycott of Subnautica 2.
Some users in the comments support the boycott, while others argue that Krafton will still profit regardless, as many will likely purchase the game. A few have suggested waiting a year or two to buy the game when it’s on sale or discounted. Another suggestion made was to remove the game from Steam wishlists as a way to communicate dissatisfaction with Krafton.
Current Situation
As it stands, Krafton has not provided any updates on the early access release date, and it remains unclear what stage of development Subnautica 2 is currently in.
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