Subnautica 2 Is An Early Access Hit, Crossing 2 Million Copies Sold In Just 12 Hours

Developer/publisher Unknown Worlds Entertainment launched Subnautica 2 into Early Access yesterday, May 14, and in just 12 hours, the game surpassed 2 million copies sold. Subnautica 2 also reached 651,000 peak concurrent players across Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Xbox yesterday, making it clear that this highly anticipated underwater survival game is an Early Access hit. 

Subnautica 2 also has more than 12,500 reviews on Steam and maintains a “Very Positive” rating. Though Subnautica 2 still has a ways to go before matching its predecessor’s sales, which sits at 18.5 million copies sold worldwide, it’s off to a great start. 

Unknown Worlds Entertainment is Subnautica 2’s publisher, but Krafton originally filled that role. However, a lengthy (and still ongoing) legal battle saw Krafton fire Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s then-CEO Ted Gill and other studio co-founders over allegations that they (and the team) had failed to get Subnautica 2 up to par for launch, arguing that Gill and others were even working on other games instead of the survival sequel. The legal battle led to Gill and others being reinstated and Unknown World Entertainment gaining publishing rights for Subnautica 2. 

Gill and co-founders Max McGuire and Charlie Cleveland argued in court that Krafton did this to prevent Unknown Worlds Entertainment from earning a $250 million bonus payout (which activates upon Subnautica 2 achieving certain performance and sales milestones), but that the collection period was extended to September. And, given how well Subnautica 2 has performed in less than 24 hours, it seems very likely the studio will get that bonus. 

Game Informer will be streaming Subnautica 2 later today, so if you’re interested in seeing the game in action, check it out on our Twitch channel later. 

Are you playing Subnautica 2? Let us know in the comments below!