[DigitalToday reporter Hojeong Lee] Unknown Worlds, a Krafton unit, released 'Subnautica 2' in early access on Friday. Ahead of that, lead designer Anthony Gallegos (앤서니 가예고스) and creative media producer Scott MacDonald (스콧 맥도날드) disclosed their development philosophy and post-launch roadmap at a media conference on May 7. The two developers said they set their development direction on modernising the more than 10-year-old series while keeping its core of "alien planet exploration."

◆Survival is a means, exploration the goal

Gallegos, the lead designer, placed the identity of the Subnautica series in "exploration" rather than "survival." He said, "This game is essentially an exploration game, and the survival elements are devices to naturally lead that exploration." He said survival is not the goal, but a means to prompt exploration.

That philosophy is reflected throughout the design. The guidance provided to players stops at the level of suggestions on "where to go," and does not intervene beyond that.

This exploration-first principle is also consistent in the core mechanisms. Early in the game, players cannot eat the alien planet's food in its natural state. They must first go through a process of interacting with alien life forms to receive "bio abilities" into their bodies, meaning they must explore the planet's ecosystem and adapt on their own. Cave exploration that requires constantly checking remaining oxygen is also maintained. Gallegos said it is "because it creates survival pressure and a sense of crisis early in the game."

An infectious disease called "Bloom" has spread across the planet. Creatures infected with Bloom become hostile, but Gallegos stressed that "they are not hostile because they are evil by nature, but because they are infected with a disease." He said the team kept the series' non-violent orientation while designing systems so players can make various choices depending on the situation. Even when killing infected creatures, he added, it is "closer to a compassionate euthanasia." The process of treating the plague spreading on the planet was presented as a major theme throughout the game.

◆New planet, new systems... what has changed

'Subnautica 2' moves away from the previous setting, the planet "4546B," and is set on a completely new alien planet. The identity of the planet was not disclosed. Along with the new planet, it adds a new story, new creatures, new Leviathans and new gameplay systems. The development team's principle is to pursue novelty without alienating the existing core fan base.

'Subnautica 2' is being made with Unreal Engine 5. Lighting using Lumen and graphics expression based on Nanite create visual differences from the previous game. The atmosphere of the world changes with the day-night cycle, and at night bioluminescence is activated and dark areas are emphasised, heightening the tension of exploration. It also reduced randomness in how resources are obtained. It changed to a system of getting resources as they appear on screen, which reflects player feedback.

A new "sculptural" method was introduced to the base-building system. Players can stretch parts of a base to create irregular shapes and build structures that could not be implemented in the previous game. From the early access launch, it includes ship docking, interior decorations, customisable signs, storage boxes and more. If players increase the size of their base, they must also expand power supply.

A new vehicle, the "Tadpole," was presented as a device to broaden the range of exploration. The Tadpole supports a "chassis" mounting method, and its movement speed and motion change depending on the chassis fitted. Two chassis will be provided at launch, with more to be added later.

For the first time in the series, it adds a co-op mode for up to 4 players and supports crossplay between Xbox and PC. Creative mode will also be provided at the early access launch.

◆2 to 3 years of early access... sequential expansion of convenience, co-op and story

Gallegos said the early access release model is "based on the belief that we can make the best game when we bring players into the development process as early as possible." He said the approach was used repeatedly in the previous two titles and its effectiveness was verified. The price is $29.99 in the United States, and it will rise when early access ends. The period is planned at a minimum of 2 years, typically 2 to 3 years. He said there is already dozens of hours' worth of story content at this point, dismissing concerns about a lack of initial content.

MacDonald, the creative media producer, explained the post-launch update direction in three parts: convenience improvements, strengthening co-op and multiplayer, and expanding the world and story. The first convenience update includes improvements to biomes, additional blight encounter content, expanded shipwreck gameplay and the addition of a sprint function.

The second is an update focused on co-op and multiplayer. He introduced proximity chat as "the most requested feature since the announcement of Subnautica 2" and said it will be introduced at this stage. A player revival feature and additional customisation options will also be added. After that, new biomes, new creatures, resources, tools and vehicles will be added sequentially as the world expands. A large submarine is under development as a long-term task. The story will expand in "chapters," with new chapters planned to be added continuously throughout the early access period.