Cut content

Leaked internal milestone documents from Unknown Worlds (confirmed authentic by KRAFTON in October 2025) revealed that the Subnautica 2 Early Access scope was significantly reduced between Q2 2023 and Q2 2025. The following content was removed or replaced.

Story content

The original plan included two narrative chapters totaling 13-16 hours of gameplay. The current Early Access plan has one chapter with 8-10 hours. Six hours of story content were removed.

Biomes

Two biomes were cut from the Early Access scope. The nine remaining confirmed biomes are: Start Zone, Coral Gardens (with Dolerite Spires and Graveyard Spires sub-biomes), Jelly Plateaus, Kelp Forest, Overgrown Ruins, Sparse Plains, VepZone, Void, and World Tree.

The Trident

A vehicle called the Trident was removed. It is referenced in the Collector Leviathan's design brief, which lists the creature's targets as "players, tadpoles, tridents, and anything it does not recognise." The Trident's function and design have not been publicly detailed.

Creatures and tools

One leviathan-class creature was cut, along with multiple other creatures and tools. The identities of the removed creatures and tools have not been disclosed.

Ecosystem restoration / Blight

An ecosystem restoration mechanic was replaced by a new system called "Blight." The original system presumably involved the player repairing environmental damage, similar to how Enzyme 42 cured the Kharaa infection in the first game. Blight's mechanics have not been publicly detailed, but the name suggests an environmental threat rather than a restorative system.

Character customization

Character customization features were removed from the Early Access scope. In previous Subnautica games, the player character had a fixed appearance.

Custom game modes

Custom game modes were dropped. The original Subnautica offered Survival, Freedom (no hunger/thirst), Hardcore (permadeath), and Creative (sandbox). Whether these modes will be added during Early Access updates is unknown.

Dedicated servers

The multiplayer architecture shifted from dedicated servers to peer-to-peer networking. This affects connection quality and means one player hosts the game session rather than a neutral server.

Context

These cuts became a point of contention in the KRAFTON lawsuit. The founders argued the game was ready for its original 2025 Early Access launch. KRAFTON claimed the game lacked sufficient "freshness." The developers plan 2-3 years of Early Access updates to add content based on player feedback.