Subnautica 2 has recently become better known for the colossal falling out between its developers and publishers than because it’s the long-awaited sequel to one of the finest craft-n-explore adventures ever made. But now with an Early Access release date made official—and confirming earlier rumors—hopefully the game itself will be able to return to the center of attention. A new cinematic trailer reveals the game will be launching on May 14.
Even this news isn’t without controversy. The May release window is alleged by developers Unknown Worlds to have been leaked in March by publishers Krafton to “spite” the team after the publisher lost big in the courts over who had control over the game’s launch. This was the end of a year-long legal battle after Krafton appeared to try to get out of giving the team a massive $250 million payout by delaying the game and firing the project’s leads.
Perhaps in just two weeks we can start talking about exactly what the crafting adventure has to offer us, the players, rather than the political and legal turmoil that has felt so entangled with the game.
Sadly, a cinematic trailer isn’t a particularly helpful means of getting us there, given it shows us precisely what the game doesn’t look like. Quite why such things even still exist bemuses me, in a time when the games themselves look so utterly stunning, but it at least carries with it the excellent news that, come May 14, we’ll be able to play the as-yet incomplete version of the game.
The original Subnautica is the poster child for Early Access as a concept, with the game fantastically playable from its initial launch, but then blossoming into something truly special by the time it reached 1.0. I’m super-hopeful the same can be realized with the sequel, and really looking forward to delving back beneath the waves to explore an all-new aquatic alien planet.