Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment has admitted that it “won’t be able to predict” how multiplayer will impact the “feelings of isolation and terror” which heavily contributed to making its predecessors stand out as much as they did.
In a Q&A video, which you’ll find embedded below, Community Manager Donya Abramo noted that “Subnautica 2 is being crafted as a single-player experience that you can optionally invite your friends to play alongside you.” Although the team is very much aiming to recapture the feelings mentioned above, it is aware that “everyone’s experience in multiplayer will be different.”
Subnautica 2 Feelings of Isolation and Terror Still Present in Single-Player
She goes on to note that playing the sequel in single-player should preserve the experience for anyone who can’t fathom the series without its trademark tension.
The Q&A also covered other topics aside from multiplayer’s impact on those two pillars of the series. Firstly, it confirmed that a VR version of Subnautica 2 is not currently in development.
Official mod support will also not make it into the game during its stay in early access. Furthermore, proximity voice chat will also be missing at launch, as it “is something that we’ll need time investigating.”
From there, the developer touched upon how Subnautica 2’s early access launch map will compare to those of its predecessors by noting that it will, indeed, be bigger.
The team is “not exactly sure” about how much the title’s handcrafted map will grow during early access but is “aiming for this to be the biggest and most exciting Subnautica game ever once we hit 1.0 in a few years’ time.”
Although beloved vehicles like the Cyclops and Seamoth aren’t making a comeback, new ones “designed in the same spirit” and better suited for the sequel’s new environments will arrive at some point after the early access launch.
Subnautica 2’s initial release will only feature a handful of pre-designed characters to choose from, but the developer is aware of how important character customization is for players.
As much as “it won’t be something that we’ll be introducing early on in the early access journey, it is something that we’re keeping in mind.”
Subnautica 2 is set to enter early access later in 2025 on PC and Xbox Series X/S. The developer plans to bring it to other platforms “when the time is right.”
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