Leaked Subnautica 2 documents reveal its troubled development amid lawsuit

Slides from an internal presentation at Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds have revealed that the game was extremely behind schedule, to the point where the devs were planning to release it in early access and in an incomplete state to get it out the door.

In a nearly unprecedented move, instead of denying the leaks, publisher Krafton confirmed their validity.

“The document that has been circulating on social media and reported by various outlets is indeed part of an internal milestone review conducted as part of the Subnautica 2 project,” they said in a PR statement.

As the now-former lead devs at Unknown Worlds and Krafton get ready for a heated legal battle with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, more and more information is beginning to come out.

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

Leaks reveal Subnautica 2’s messy dev cycle

The original Subnautica was a smash hit debut for Unknown Worlds, with it being regarded to this day as one of the best survival games ever made. Below Zero was well received, but didn’t have nearly the impact of the original. So, fans were looking to Subnautica 2 as a true evolution of the series.

Publisher Krafton agreed, offering up a huge amount of money for the studio if they were able to nail their deadlines and make the game fans wanted. If they were able to replicate the success of the first game, then it’d be a huge payday for everyone involved.

But, according to leaked internal documentation, the polar opposite has occurred. Development is deeply troubled and behind schedule.

“The current version of SN2 is expected to deliver a certain level of performance based on its existing fandom, but it is deemed to lack the level of polish and market impact required to drive IP growth and expansion,” one of the slides reads.

Unknown Worlds

“To develop SN2 into Krafton’s global franchise IP, it is recommended to enhance the content volume and level of polish before launching so that it can appeal to a broader market from the EA release stage.”

Just how far behind are they? Well, the slide lays out where they’re at with development now, the amount of content that should release with early access, and the amount they originally wanted.

Currently, only one major biome and an intro region are completed. There are only 12 creatures, 2 leviathans, less vehicles than the first game, and a lot of missing features. They aim to have a second biome completed for early access along with some more creatures, mining and automation tools, farming and more, but none of that is done yet.

Meanwhile, he original development spec they sold Krafton promised 4 biomes, character customization features, more vehicles, more creatures, and a lot of other features that are already planned cuts from Subnautica 2. They may never see the light of day at all, and, if they do, it’ll take years of development after SN2’s early access launch.

More about Subnautica’s development is sure to come out in the ensuing legal battle between publisher Krafton and the devs they fired for alleged mismanagement of the project.