Release of Subnautica 2’s Early Access Postponed

Man, so Subnautica 2 is getting pushed back to 2026. I mean, can you believe it? The early access was supposed to be next year. But nope, plans change, I guess. Apparently, Krafton decided to shake things up by booting the original leadership team. Steve Papoutsis is the new guy in charge—also runs Striking Distance Studios. Maybe he’s got a trick or two up his sleeve. Or not. Who knows.

Anyway, there was some kind of report hinting at a $250 million bonus if they hit certain marks. But delaying to 2026? Yeah, seems like that ship’s sailed. Not paying that chunk of change might be part of the plan. Cheeky move.

Fans are up in arms on social media. It’s like everyone suddenly became an expert in game development. The good news? No microtransactions or battle passes, sigh of relief there. Just good ol’ co-op gameplay—four players max.

Oh, and Cleveland—one of the co-founders—was totally caught off guard by all this. He said the game was ready for early access, but now it’s all in Krafton’s hands. There’s excitement and then there’s this. They’re using Unreal Engine 5, so the graphics should be stellar. If they ever finish it, that is.

But, yeah, time will tell what Papoutsis and Krafton are doing. Maybe they’ll surprise us or maybe it’s a long road to disappointment. Here’s hoping it’s worth the wait. Fingers crossed.