Leaked Subnautica 2 documents reveal its troubled development amid lawsuit

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The leaked slides from a private meeting at Subnautica 2‘s creators, Unknown Worlds, suggest that the game development was significantly delayed, causing the team to consider releasing it prematurely as an Early Access title to expedite its launch.

As a gamer, I was blown away when publisher Krafton, rather than playing coy, openly acknowledged that the leaked info was on the money.

“In a press release, they confirmed that the document shared on social media platforms and also reported by multiple news outlets is actually a progress report from an internal evaluation within the development process of the game Subnautica 2.”

With their previous roles as lead developers at Unknown Worlds and Krafton about to be tested in a significant court dispute worth hundreds of millions, an increasing amount of details are emerging.

Here’s what we know from the leaked internal documents.

Leaks reveal Subnautica 2’s messy dev cycle

Initially, Subnautica, Unknown Worlds’ first release, was a massive success and continues to be hailed as one of the greatest survival games ever crafted. While Below Zero received positive feedback, it didn’t quite match the original’s impact. Consequently, enthusiasts eagerly anticipated Subnautica 2 as a significant advancement in the series.

The publisher Krafton consented, promising a substantial sum of money to the studio on condition they meet their deadlines and create a game that would satisfy fans. If they could achieve the same level of success as the initial game, it would result in a lucrative outcome for all parties.

However, based on leaked internal reports, it appears that the situation is quite the contrary. The development process is experiencing significant difficulties and is running late.

According to this slide, the present form of SN2 is predicted to achieve a particular performance standard due to its existing fanbase. However, it’s considered not refined enough or impactful enough in the market to foster intellectual property (IP) development and expansion.

For SN2 to become a globally recognized franchise under Krafton, it would be beneficial to increase the content’s depth and improve its overall quality prior to launch. This way, it can attract a wider audience starting from the Electronic Arts (EA) release phase.

To clarify their current progress, the graph illustrates their current stage in development, the expected quantity of content for the early access launch, and the initial target they aimed for.

At present, we’ve finished working on one primary ecosystem and a starting zone. There are only twelve types of creatures, two leviathans, fewer vehicles compared to the initial game, and many features still absent. Their goal is to release a second ecosystem for early access, as well as additional creatures, mining and automation tools, farming options, and more, but those elements have not been developed yet.

In the original plan Krafton had sold, Subnautica 2 was set to include four distinct biomes, character customization options, additional vehicles, various creatures, and a host of other features. However, it appears that some of these elements have been removed from the game’s development, leaving doubts about whether they will ever be implemented at all. If they are, it would likely take several years of further development following Subnautica 2’s early access release.

Further details on the development process of Subnautica are likely to surface during the upcoming court case between publisher Krafton and the developers who were terminated over accusations of poor project management.

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2025-07-13 23:18