While I knew that the Early Access release of the long-awaited Subnautica 2 was going to be big, I wasn't expecting it to be one of the largest game launches we've seen in quite some time — though perhaps I should have, given that its preorder sales were neck and neck with those of Forza Horizon 6.

Yet, as it turns out, that's precisely what it's been thus far. Despite releasing on Xbox, Xbox on PC, and Steam just a few short hours ago, the alien underwater exploration and survival game sequel has 424,940 concurrent players on the latter platform as I'm writing this. A bit earlier in the day, it peaked at 467,582 — just under half a million folks diving into its majestic otherworldly oceans.

It's also nice to see after all the tumultuous legal drama that's preceded the game's arrival throughout the last several months, all of which began last year when Krafton controversially delayed Subnautica 2 indefinitely after it was scheduled to release in 2025. It also fired the game's founders and replaced Unknown Worlds' CEO.

Unknown Worlds' leadership filed a lawsuit claiming that Krafton wrongfully removed them from the project and did so to avoid paying a $250 million bonus that hinged on the game performing well in 2025, while Krafton argued the dev's leaders were being negligent and that Subnautica 2 needed the delay. A judge eventually sided with the series' founders, reinstated Unknown Worlds' CEO Ted Gill, and gave him control over the game's release — finally leading to its highly anticipated arrival.

Krafton is legally required to keep that $250 million bonus offer alive for most of 2026 as a result of the case, and if Subnautica 2 continues to perform as well as it has thus far on launch day, I imagine it won't be long before it satisfies the performance goals for the payout. That's great news for Unknown Worlds' development team.

All in all, I'm just glad that Subnautica 2 is out, and I look forward to seeing how it grows as development of the game continues in Early Access. I'm busy playing some other games right now, but I do look forward to jumping into this one at some point, especially since it has co-op. I'm always looking for things to play with friends, so sooner or later, I'm picking it up.

Are you looking forward to diving into Subnautica 2 now that it's out? I'm interested in hearing from you, so leave a comment and vote in our poll.

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Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you'll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he's not writing or gaming, there's a good chance he's either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once. Follow him on X (Twitter).