Subnautica 2 is on its way this year, according to a recent earnings report from publisher Krafton. In development by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, the aquatic crafting survival game is coming to PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X.
Subnautica sequel coming this year
Last year, the Korean publisher indicated that it hoped to launch the next Subnautica game in 2025. However, Game Watcher reported that the PUBG publisher is now shooting for a 2024 release date window. Details are scarce, but the new game will reportedly take players to “an entirely new alien planet.”
Despite the radically different climates, Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero both took place on Planet 4546B. While Below Zero introduced plenty of new creatures, there were also a few returning faunae. Others were regional variations or evolutionary relatives of creatures players encountered in the first game. While there is nothing wrong with that, a new planet presumably means a whole new world of things to discover.
It will also be interesting to see how Subnautica 2 continues the popular series’ ongoing metanarrative. The first game saw players racing to find the cure for an alien pathogen called the Kharaa Bacteria. An alien race known as the Architects came to Planet 4546B to study the bacteria but abandoned the planet after the disease broke containment. Below Zero ended on a cliffhanger regarding the fate of the Architects, and the new game will hopefully reveal what happened to them.
Fans will no doubt also be eager to discover what happened to Robin and Al-An, the protagonists of Subnautica: Below Zero. The last game ended with their arrival on the Architect homeworld. Krafton’s mention of a new planet implies that the next Subnautica game will likely pick up from there.
