The Dev says that “We understand where that request is coming from.”

The Subnautica 2 community had an interesting week. A developer at Unknown Worlds commented in response to players requesting more combat in the game — telling combat-focused players to essentially go play something else — and the reaction online was swift and loud. I saw the original comment, I saw the response to it, and my honest first reaction was that the developer wasn’t entirely wrong, even if the delivery was a mistake. Subnautica has never been a combat game. That’s not a design oversight — it’s a deliberate creative choice that defines the entire experience. But there’s a difference between defending your vision and dismissing your audience, and that line got crossed.

Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds has responded to growing player feedback surrounding the game’s survival mechanics, particularly concerns about the lack of defensive tools available against aggressive underwater creatures.

The original comment came in response to players asking Unknown Worlds to add more traditional combat systems to Subnautica 2. The developer’s response — paraphrased as telling those players to go play Sons of the Forest or something similar — was blunt in a way that read as dismissive rather than principled. In isolation, as a statement of creative vision, it’s defensible. Subnautica 2 is built around exploration, survival, and the specific anxiety of navigating an ocean you don’t understand. Adding COD-style combat to that would genuinely damage what makes the game special. As a way of talking to your player base in a public forum, it wasn’t great.

Unknown Worlds followed up with a proper response acknowledging the frustration. They confirmed they understood where the combat requests were coming from and that the feedback was being heard, while maintaining that the game’s core design philosophy wasn’t changing. That’s actually the right answer — acknowledge the audience, explain the vision, hold the line on the creative choices that matter. What I found interesting was how quickly the conversation shifted once the studio spoke clearly and directly. Most players weren’t actually demanding that Subnautica become an action game. They were reacting to feeling dismissed. The formal response addressed that, and it worked.

The discussion quickly gained traction following Subnautica 2’s recent release, with many players comparing the sequel to the original Subnautica, which offered multiple ways to defend yourself from hostile sea life. In contrast, players in Subnautica 2 currently have far fewer defensive options, with the flare serving as the primary deterrent against dangerous creatures. For some players, that simply hasn’t felt sufficient during intense underwater encounters.

The situation escalated further after a developer commented on the game’s Discord server, stating, “We aren’t a killing game. Go play Sons of the Forest or something if you want to kill.” According to reports from IGN, the statement sparked further debate within the community about the game’s direction and overall survival design philosophy.

Unknown Worlds has now released an open letter addressing the controversy, apologising to players who felt “ignored” or “dismissed” following the developer’s earlier response regarding combat and defensive mechanics in Subnautica 2.

In the statement, the studio acknowledged that the reaction from parts of the community was understandable and admitted the communication could have been handled far better. The developers emphasized that player feedback remains an important part of the game’s Early Access process and reassured fans that community discussions are meant to help shape the experience moving forward.

“Early Access should be a conversation with our players,” the studio explained, “not a one-way explanation from the development team. Your feedback matters, and we do not want any part of our communication to make the community feel otherwise.”

The response appears to be an effort from Unknown Worlds to calm tensions within the community while reinforcing its commitment to listening to player feedback as Subnautica 2 continues development.

Subnautica 2‘s early access release trailer. Watch on YouTube

Unknown Worlds also directly addressed the growing debate surrounding combat and creature encounters in Subnautica 2, explaining that the demand for stronger self-defense options likely stems from certain survival mechanics not feeling effective enough in the current Early Access build. Despite the feedback, however, the studio made it clear that traditional combat is still not the direction it wants the sequel to take.

“We have heard the strong request for more direct ways to deal with hostile creatures,” Unknown Worlds stated, “including the ability to kill them. We understand where that request is coming from. When avoidance and mitigation tools do not feel effective, it is natural for players to want a more decisive solution.”

The studio continued by clarifying that its stance is not meant to criticize players asking for combat mechanics. Instead, the developers emphasized that Subnautica has always been designed around vulnerability, exploration, tension, and survival rather than weapon-focused gameplay.

“Our current direction is not based on judging players who want combat, and it is not because we think those players are wrong,” the statement continued. “Subnautica has always been built around vulnerability, exploration, and survival rather than traditional weapon-based combat. We believe that this is part of what makes the game unique. However, that design only works if creature encounters feel fair, readable, and engaging. Right now, we know we have more work to do to achieve that.”

To improve those systems, Unknown Worlds confirmed that several gameplay adjustments are already in development. Planned updates include changes to creature aggression timing, enemy detection ranges, flare effectiveness, Survival Tool balancing, and how hostile creatures interact with vehicles and player-built bases.

“In the coming weeks, we will be delivering a series of improvements aimed at addressing the concerns we are hearing from this community. We hope those changes will demonstrate that we are listening and that we are committed to working with you to make Subnautica 2 the best game it can be.”

Despite the controversy, Subnautica 2 has already become a massive success during its Steam Early Access launch, reportedly reaching more than two million sales within just 12 hours while attracting hundreds of thousands of concurrent players online.

At the same time, the sequel’s launch period has also been overshadowed by the ongoing legal dispute between Unknown Worlds and former publisher Krafton. The conflict involved disagreements surrounding the removal of key team members and allegations that Krafton attempted to withhold a reported $250 million bonus package. Earlier this year, a judge ruled in favor of Unknown Worlds, although design lead Anthony Gallegos later confirmed that Krafton remains attached to the project as co-publisher.

Even with the surrounding controversy, early impressions of the game itself have been largely positive. Many players and critics have praised the sequel’s sense of exploration, atmosphere, and underwater survival mechanics. As one early impression noted, “The joy of discovery in Subnautica 2 – when you’re not being chased down by sharks or nibbled at by fish – is immense.” Another early access impression jokingly added, “Co-op is definitely the worst way to play Subnautica 2, but as a big old sea-wuss, I really don’t care.”

What It Means To Me

From a purely personal standpoint, I don’t want Subnautica 2 to have more combat. The fear of what’s in the water, the resourcefulness required to survive without weapons, the sense of being genuinely out of your element in an alien ocean — that’s the game. Adding traditional combat systems would make it more comfortable and less interesting at the same time. But I also play on PC, where I can see the full community conversation, and I understand that not every player wants the same experience. The best outcome here is exactly what happened — the studio explained their thinking clearly, acknowledged their community respectfully, and moved forward. That’s how it should work.

This situation touches on something that comes up constantly in gaming right now — the tension between a developer’s creative vision and a community’s desire to shape the product they’ve invested in. I have a lot of sympathy for developers in this position. You build something specific, with a clear idea of what it is and what it isn’t, and then a vocal portion of your audience wants it to be something different. The instinct to push back is understandable. The way you push back is what matters.

Subnautica 2 is shaping up to be one of the most interesting survival games in years, and Unknown Worlds clearly cares deeply about what they’re building. Moments like this are inevitable when a game has a passionate community and a strong creative identity — the two will occasionally pull in different directions. How a studio handles those moments tells you a lot about who they are. This one was handled well, eventually. We’ll keep covering Subnautica 2 as it continues through development and into full release.

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SOURCE: STEAM

Mr. Sano

Hello! I am Mr. Sano Ethan, a content creator, variety gamer, and the driving force behind Kick Of Draft. With over 6 years of hands-on experience across PC, console, and indie gaming,