Subnautica 2 devs show off multiplayer while constantly reassuring solo players it's totally optional

There's been no shortage of drama surrounded Subnautica 2, from the leadership of Unknown Worlds being axed by publisher Krafton because they'd allegedly caused a delay, to those developers claiming it was Krafton who had caused that delay, actually, so it wouldn't have to pay those devs a contractual multi-million dollar earnout, to the big messy and downright perplexing lawsuit filed over those conflicting claims, which is still ongoing.

Mostly lost in these stormy seas has been talk about the game itself—but today, the development team behind Subnautica 2 took some time to show off the sequel's multiplayer features. And maybe in an effort to avoid any more drama, the team wants to be clear that if you're interested in playing the game alone, like the original, you totally, definitely can.

"Players really latched on to isolation, and that became so essential to Subnautica," says design lead Anthony Gallegos in the new devlog posted to YouTube. "Now with Subnautica 2, with a fresh start, new engine, we thought to ourselves, this is the moment where we can still make a game that can deliver on isolation for people that want that. But we can also have multiplayer."

The devs say multiplayer is "one of the most requested features of Subnautica," but they also want to make it clear that the game is fully playable solo.

"The important distinction there is that any part of the game isn't going to require cooperative play," Gallegos says. "But if I want to come along and bring a friend, they can totally participate with me in every moment along the way.

"We never wanted to encroach on someone's game that just is like, 'I want to play solo.' We never wanted to have the moment where you had to pull the switches in tandem. That's never the way we want it to be. Optional co-op, start to finish."

That's about the most cautious way I've seen a team speak about a highly requested feature… but I get it. Heck, in an era dominated by multiplayer survival games, I actually appreciate it: not long ago I wrote an ode to the intense joy of playing a survival game alone. Co-op is great, but surviving on your own can be singularly (ha) satisfying.

As for multiplayer in Subnautica 2, the system looks pretty easy to use, a drop-in, drop-out affair with crossplatform support where you can invite friends into your singleplayer game or start a new multiplayer game together. We also get a look at a new feature, the dive elevator, a platform you can ride down to the depths with your friends (or alone!) and haul your loot back up to the surface with it.

The devblog ends with yet more reassurances for solo players. "Play one run, completely solo and isolated and say 'That was great, now I can't wait to do it again with my friends,'" Gallegos says. "And that just seemed like a really logical fit for Subnautica 2."