One reason Subnautica came out better through the years was the relationship built between the developers and players (beta testers?) by relying on transparency and active feedback. Subnautica was a big mess during the first iterations, and a lot changed and improved thanks to this collaboration IMO.
I remember when they explained that the game won’t have weapons and I scratched my head as I wanted to play an undersea Natural Selection game. I was wrong then, and I hope we’re all wrong and a better game (or at least similar one) comes out of this.
In their place, Striking Distance Studios CEO Steve Papoutsis (who has a major role in the development of The Callisto Protocol) has been appointed as Unknown Worlds CEO.
Stevesie: “Ok guys… see how they made Dead Space? I want that but take out 2/3 of the content and features… and I want it rushed to production with as many bugs as possible on release!”
Underaquaia? Seaunderia? Drownica? Or, my personal favorite: “fuck ugly giant cthulu adjacent heart attack inducer 2”
I can only imagine the new PTB are already working feverishly to add mandatory for story progression, 30+ hour combined Seatruck and Snowfox segments, a minigun which mounts to the seaglide, and mats necessary for key endgame craftables which are conveniently available exclusively through loot boxes you can earn by sending individual dev team members your nudes or earn 15 a week absolutely free with your monthly Deep Dive Club subscription
Also, from orbit the planet looks completely covered by ocean, but once you land it’s like calf high at its highest… but there are still leviathans, for some reason. Because fuck you, that’s why.
They had already hinted they wanted to make Subnautica 2 into a multiplayer co-op, and they specifically mentioned “games as a service”.
After backlash, they specified the multiplayer would be optional, and “games as a service” means long term updates, not microtransactions, which sounds suspiciously like a rollback to me…
I was already kind of expecting that, seeing as below zero’s map wasn’t half as interesting as the first game, the storytelling was mid, and the mechanics were all over the place, like they just wanted to make another hit by shooting in every direction, with half the work put into it.
When Below Zero came out it was clear that they had no idea what made Subnautica special, something that a sequel had no hope of replicating. Fear of the unknown and the drive to explore deeper. Once you’ve completed Subnautica you are a god of the sea, and that knowledge and experience cannot be lost.
Mobius Digital was able to make a successful DLC for Outer Wilds because they understood what made their game work, which is the player’s own curiosity.
The team had already lost any chance of recreating the greatness of the first game when their sound designer made unbelievably stupid comments on social media, leaving the company no choice but to fire him.
This is very sad because I loved their stuff ever since the Natural Selection Half-life mod.
Ffs one of the few games I was actively but patiently excited for, pretty much down the drain. I can only hope they make their own studio with blackjack and hookers
I mean I wasn’t planning on getting sub 2 after the shitshow that was below zero, the studio is clear they didn’t understand what caused the magic in the first game, and failed at delivery in the second one.
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One reason Subnautica came out better through the years was the relationship built between the developers and players (beta testers?) by relying on transparency and active feedback. Subnautica was a big mess during the first iterations, and a lot changed and improved thanks to this collaboration IMO.
I remember when they explained that the game won’t have weapons and I scratched my head as I wanted to play an undersea Natural Selection game. I was wrong then, and I hope we’re all wrong and a better game (or at least similar one) comes out of this.
Does this mean in 6 years we’ll get “BelowTheWatermica Dos” by a new studio, and it will be a far better spiritual sequel?
It’s happened only a few times when a publisher cans the developers.
I can smell the mediocrity from here.
Stevesie: “Ok guys… see how they made Dead Space? I want that but take out 2/3 of the content and features… and I want it rushed to production with as many bugs as possible on release!”
Hmmm publisher gutting original creative team from a highly anticipated sequel. This always ends well.
Yup, sounds like I need to wait for quite a few patches and some real reviews before I buy
Kerbal Space Program 2Subnautica 2I can’t think of a time it has gone well.
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Oh good now maybe the Subnautica developers can go independent to make a spiritual successor that isn’t called Subnautica and isn’t garbage.
Underaquaia? Seaunderia? Drownica? Or, my personal favorite: “fuck ugly giant cthulu adjacent heart attack inducer 2”
I can only imagine the new PTB are already working feverishly to add mandatory for story progression, 30+ hour combined Seatruck and Snowfox segments, a minigun which mounts to the seaglide, and mats necessary for key endgame craftables which are conveniently available exclusively through loot boxes you can earn by sending individual dev team members your nudes or earn 15 a week absolutely free with your monthly Deep Dive Club subscription
Also, from orbit the planet looks completely covered by ocean, but once you land it’s like calf high at its highest… but there are still leviathans, for some reason. Because fuck you, that’s why.
Find The Titanium 2
Jumpscare Simulator
Thalassophobia Generator
Welcome Aboard Captain. All Systems Online. 2 Underwater Boogaloo.
I mean, Thalassophobia wouldn’t be a terrible name for a video game.
Just hope it isn’t The Neptune Protocol.
Great. An upper management restructuring. Capitalism does it’s thing again. Subnautica 2 will be a shitty cash grab.
At least we had the first one.
They had already hinted they wanted to make Subnautica 2 into a multiplayer co-op, and they specifically mentioned “games as a service”.
After backlash, they specified the multiplayer would be optional, and “games as a service” means long term updates, not microtransactions, which sounds suspiciously like a rollback to me…
I was already kind of expecting that, seeing as below zero’s map wasn’t half as interesting as the first game, the storytelling was mid, and the mechanics were all over the place, like they just wanted to make another hit by shooting in every direction, with half the work put into it.
When Below Zero came out it was clear that they had no idea what made Subnautica special, something that a sequel had no hope of replicating. Fear of the unknown and the drive to explore deeper. Once you’ve completed Subnautica you are a god of the sea, and that knowledge and experience cannot be lost.
Mobius Digital was able to make a successful DLC for Outer Wilds because they understood what made their game work, which is the player’s own curiosity.
Missed opportunity to make a bunch of Subnautica puns
Co-op could’ve been a nice unlock for completing the game but yeah the isolation was the whole draw for Subnautica.
Unknown Worlds was already dead anyway.
The team had already lost any chance of recreating the greatness of the first game when their sound designer made unbelievably stupid comments on social media, leaving the company no choice but to fire him.
This is very sad because I loved their stuff ever since the Natural Selection Half-life mod.
TIL, I liked the OST, but holy cow this guy’s twitter is nasty. He can get fucked.
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Simon Chylinski. I am now afraid of seeing anyone else’s twitter.
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David Wise’s twitter would have been wild 😂
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wtf I didn’t know Jubert and Prunty were on this joint! Hopefully the remaining team will make Natural Selection 3…
Not gamedev but other software, going through the exact same thing (new, external CEO). Guess the axeman cometh for us all eventually.
aw man i was HYPED for subnautica 2. loved the first game and below zero but now I’m worried
Ffs one of the few games I was actively but patiently excited for, pretty much down the drain. I can only hope they make their own studio
with blackjack and hookersAh yes the song of our times: concerning leadership changes.
Welp. That’s that for that.
Below Zero wasn’t exactly great, though.
I mean I wasn’t planning on getting sub 2 after the shitshow that was below zero, the studio is clear they didn’t understand what caused the magic in the first game, and failed at delivery in the second one.
I’ll wait for more info,… but from now on I’m approaching SN2 with extreme caution
“This news article matches 7 of the 9 preconditions for stimulating terror in gamers.”