Update February 8th 2:07PM: Unknown Worlds has released a blog post addressing some of the claims Krafton made about Subnautica 2 in its recent earnings presentation.
In the post, Unknown Worlds says that Subnautica 2's Early Access period "is not intended for release in 2024", but that lots more info about the game is on its way later this year.
The studio also says that the live-service elements of Subnautica 2 will simply extend to continual updates, "just like the previous two Subnautica games". According to Unknown Worlds, there will be "no season passes, no battle passes, [and] no subscription".
While co-op will be available, Subnautica 2 also won't be multiplayer-focused. Instead, co-op will be "entirely optional", and you'll be able to play it single-player if you wish. Original story follows below.
Original story: Krafton, the parent company of Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds, appears to have confirmed that Subnautica 2 will launch in 2024, and that's not all.
According to the company's 2023 earnings presentation, the upcoming sequel will allow players to explore an "entirely new alien planet" powered by Unreal Engine 5. It'll support either single-player or co-op multiplayer, with up to 4 players able to explore the same space together.
Somewhat more interestingly, however, Krafton also says that Subnautica 2 will adopt a "game-as-a-service model with enhanced replayability".
It's not entirely clear what this means yet, since the term "game-as-a-service" is pretty broad. Generally speaking, however, it likely means we can expect regular content updates for Subnautica 2 rather than an enclosed one-and-done narrative experience akin to the first game.
The second Subnautica game (if we don't count Below Zero, of course) was quietly revealed via a job posting back in 2022. That listing sought a senior narrative designer to create "the next game in the Subnautica universe", which would take place on "a new science fiction world".
In the interim, Unknown Worlds has also released turn-based "tactical skirmish" game Moonbreaker, which was officially revealed during 2022's Gamescom event and released in full just last week.
Of course, Subnautica 2 isn't the only game on Krafton's slate of upcoming titles.
The company is also looking to release mobile efforts like Dinkum Mobile and Dark and Darker Mobile this year (legal battles permitting, of course), as well as "highly anticipated" life sim Inzoi and extraction shooter Black Budget.
In general, it's been a pretty strong year for Krafton financially, with revenue reaching 1.9 trillion Korean won (about $1.43 billion), an "all-time high" for the company. Krafton's flagship IP PUBG was apparently the principal driver behind this success.
In the fourth quarter of 2023 alone, Krafton raked in 534.6 billion Korean won (around $401.7 million), citing "growth in PC, mobile, and console despite low-seasonality".
