Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds has issued a statement following recent personnel changes that have raised concerns among fans. Several key employees left the company last week, including founder Ted Gill, creative director Charlie Cleveland, and technical director Max McGuire. The new CEO is Steve Papoutsis, formerly of Striking Distance Studios.
Despite the departure of the founders, the developers assured that the core team that worked on the game in recent years remained unchanged. It includes both participants of the original Subnautica and new specialists attracted to implement a large-scale sequel. Representatives of the studio emphasized that Steve Papoutsis actively joined the work and receives the necessary support to smoothly integrate into the processes.
The developers confirmed that the structure of Subnautica 2 will not change: the game will remain single-player, with the possibility of co-op play. The title will be released in early access before the end of 2025 on PC and Xbox Series X/S, and will be available in Game Pass.