Despite the legal drama playing out between developer Unknown Worlds and publisher Krafton, Subnautica 2 will soon see an early-access release. The game arrives on May 14 for PC and Xbox Series X|S.
The announcement was made alongside a price–$30–though it’s not clear if that price will then rise in the future. Those who purchase the game during the early-access period will, of course, maintain access to the game forever, including updates and content released following its 1.0 launch, whenever that happens to be.
“We have plenty more in store for you all as we count down to early access on May 14,” the development team said in the announcement.
We also have an answer regarding the game’s publishing situation. Though Krafton was recently removed as the publisher on the game’s Steam page, it will be co-publishing the game alongside Unknown Worlds, as shared by Polygon.
Subnautica 2 has been the center of a protracted legal dispute between Unknown Worlds and Krafton (which owns the studio), particularly regarding a plan to move the early-access date that would result in a large bonus not being paid out to the developers. A court ruling later forced Krafton to reinstate CEO Ted Gill to his role at the studio and allow Unknown Worlds to plan the release date. Players are certainly eager to try it out, as it’s the most-wishlisted game on Steam at the time of this writing.