Subnautica 2 Hits 5 Million Sales Milestone During Early Access

Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s underwater survival sequel, Subnautica 2, has officially surpassed 5 million copies sold just under two months after diving into Early Access. To the surprise of absol\utely no one following the game's explosive trajectory, this massive commercial milestone coincides beautifully with the rollout of the game’s first major early access patch, Version 1.1, also known as the "Adaptive Measures" update.

The game's financial success has been nothing short of historic for the survival crafting genre, even if it might be causing the CEO of Krafton to pour a stiff drink. Launching across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and select subscription services on May 14, the title pulled over 370,000 concurrent players in its first 30 minutes on Steam. It sold 1M units in its first hour, crossed the 2M mark in just 12 hours, and broke 4M copies in less than a week. Hitting the 5M mark by early July cements the franchise's massive ongoing popularity and Unknown Worlds' incredibly strong market position.

To reward this rapidly growing player base, the new Adaptive Measures update directly addresses community feedback from the opening weeks. After masses of players complained about the game's forced pacifism, the developers introduced just a little bit of violence as a clever compromise, as per PC Gamer. 

Players still cannot kill the local sea creatures, but the new Sonic Resonator tool allows you to give aggressive fauna a good bonk on the head or a zap to temporarily stun them when they get uncomfortably close. This defensive addition pairs nicely with overhauled creature behaviors, meaning hostile animals will visibly retreat after being hit with a survival tool, while schooling fish now move much more naturally.

Base-Building Quality-of-Life Adjustments

For players who love to settle in for some good old-fashioned base building, the 1.1 update brings some much-needed relief. Previously, trying to fit a massive Tadpole dock into a pre-existing base layout could be an infuriating experience. Unknown Worlds has thankfully improved the placement rules for the Tadpole Dock, making it much easier to slot into small spaces. Other base-building quality-of-life adjustments include better placement for the fabricator, the ability to easily deconstruct larger objects, and a brand-new dedicated storage structure.

The expansion also breathes new life into the game's core progression and exploration loops. Intrepid divers can now hunt down two brand-new Biolabs hidden within the Coral Gardens and Axum Ruins biomes. Finding these facilities raises the player’s unlockable biomodification cap from four to six. 

For those exploring above the waves, players can now sprint on land and inside their bases, and a highly requested field-of-view slider has been added to the visual settings. Multiplayer fans are receiving crucial stability updates as well; audio logs picked up during co-op sessions will no longer auto-play and overlap dialogue, instead heading straight to the PDA Databank to be played manually.

Executive Producer Fernando Melo explained in a press release that this initial patch is heavily focused on refining the early-game experience and core systems. He added, “We’ll continue shaping the world of Subnautica 2 together with our players throughout Early Access. "I can't wait to see what Unknown Worlds does next.