What initially started as a relatively low-key sequel to an excellent indie game, the development of Subnautica 2 wound up being far more complicated, with issues between developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment and original publisher Krafton leading to a plethora of legal battles. With all of it seemingly finally resolved however, the team at Unknown Worlds have officially confirmed the release date for Subnautica 2.

Making the official announcement, the team at Unknown Worlds Entertainment confirmed that the long-awaited Subnautica 2 is finally set to launch in Early Access later this month – arriving on the 14th of May (at 4PM UK time to be specific).

Alongside its release date, the team also offered an official price for the product, revealing that it will cost $29.99 and will cover “all additions, updates, and hotfixes up to our 1.0 launch and beyond.”

Outside of its price and release date, the team also gave a rough estimate for how long the game will remain in Early Access, claiming that it could “take about 2 to 3 years” – though of course such timelines are always subject to change.

Regardless, with all of the various legal issues now behind them, Unknown Worlds are finally gearing up to release their long-awaited and much-anticipated Subnautica 2.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for Subnautica 2? Will you pick it up during Early Access or wait until it reaches 1.0? Let us know down below.

Earlier this week, a leaked internal memo revealed that Subnautica 2 would be launching into early access in May. Now, Krafton has given its full statement, confirming that the game has made ‘meaningful progress' this year and is now on the road to launch.

In an email sent to us last night, Krafton gave their full statement, saying:

“We can confirm that the internal message shared with the Unknown Worlds team is accurate. The team has made meaningful progress following the milestone review approved earlier this month, and has been working toward an Early Access release in May. While we respectfully disagree with this week's court ruling and intend to explore all legal avenues, our goal is to minimize disruption to the team and to the release plan. We remain committed to an open development approach, working closely with the community as development continues, and are focused on delivering the best possible experience to players.”

The court ruling referred to in the statement is something we reported on earlier in the week, as a judge had ruled that a breach of contract took place when Unknown Worlds CEO, Ted Gill, was fired last year. There is still ongoing litigation in this case and Krafton intends to explore its legal options, so there should be further developments on this in the coming months. However, Krafton does not plan to let the legal case get in the way of Subnautica 2's Early Access launch or future development.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning on getting Subnautica 2 when it drops?

This week, a judge ruled that Krafton must re-hire the former CEO of Subnautica studio, Unknown Worlds Entertainment, due to a breach of contract. Now, Krafton has sent over their full statement addressing the ruling, along with its plans for Subnautica 2, which is still in development. 

In an email from Krafton PR, a spokesperson said: “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. We 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”.

There is not yet a release date for Subnautica 2 but like the first game, it will launch first as an Early Access title on PC.

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KitGuru Says: Hopefully we get an update on the release of Subnautica 2 later in the year. 

Last year, we learned that Subnautica co-creators and former Unknown Worlds Entertainment executives, Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire would be suing Krafton for breach of contract after the trio were forced out of the company, following a forced delay of Subnautica 2 by the publisher. The three argued that the game was ready for an Early Access launch, but that Krafton had forced a delay to avoid paying out hundreds of millions in bonuses. Now, a judge has ruled that Krafton must reinstate Gill as CEO of the Subnautica studio.

As reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, a judge ruled this week that Krafton must re-hire Gill as the CEO of Unknown Worlds Entertainment, the studio in charge of the Subnautica games. In the ruling, the judge states that Krafton had violated the terms of its contract and that Gill must regain “full operational authority over the studio”.

Krafton has already said in a statement that it disagrees with the ruling, adding that the team is “evaluating” its options. There is additional litigation pending too, as Gill, Cleveland and McGuire still believe that Krafton should have approved the Early Access release of Subnautica 2 in 2025 and paid out as much as $250M in contracted bonuses. The three executives have previously claimed that they would have passed down much of this bonus money to other employees throughout the company.

Subnautica 2 remains in development but has not yet launched. Krafton stated last year that the ‘content volume' was not yet at a level to launch into Early Access.

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KitGuru Says: It will be interesting to see how the rest of this unfolds. So far, it appears that the merger between Unknown Worlds and Krafton has not gone to plan for either side.