Unknown Worlds shares Subnautica 2 Early Access roadmap

Unknown Worlds has released the initial Early Access roadmap for Subnautica 2, following the survival sequel surpassing two million copies sold within 12 hours of its launch. The development plan outlines two targeted system improvement updates designed to address player feedback before the studio deploys its first major world expansion.

The news regarding the new sales milestone comes from IGN, which also shared some concurrent player data. Across all platforms, which include Steam, Epic Games Store, and Xbox Series X|S, Subnautica 2 exceeded 651,000 concurrent players. On Steam alone, it peaked at over 467,000 concurrent players, about 9 times the all-time peak of the original Subnautica.

The first scheduled update, labelled Early Access 1.1, will centre strictly on core quality-of-life refinements. Key areas slated for optimisation include the Biomods framework, Blight encounters, exploration within wrecks, and the mechanical flow of vehicle docking and fabrication. It will also add several highly requested baseline features to the game, including a dedicated sprint function, a unified storage cache option, and additional passive slots for the player's Biomod loadout.

Following the first big update, Early Access 1.2 will pivot entirely toward enhancing the game's newly introduced multiplayer infrastructure. The cooperative-centric update plans to improve user interface HUD signals, base building precision tools, and the pinned recipe system for groups. New mechanics arriving in this second wave include native in-game voice chat, player-to-player item trading, character emotes, a revive mechanic for downed teammates, and additional visual customisation choices.

Longer-term developments are categorised under a broader future expansion bucket, which will introduce substantial content additions rather than basic system overhauls. These milestones will expand the playable oceanic map with entirely new alien biomes, unique resources, fresh tools, an unannounced vehicle tier, and subsequent narrative chapters of the central story campaign. Unknown Worlds has not attached specific calendar dates to the updates, reiterating that the Early Access phase is projected to last between two and three years.

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KitGuru says: Have you tried Subnautica 2 already? What's your review of it?

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