Subnautica 2 team says no generative AI used, despite Krafton's AI push

A sequel built on handcrafted alien ecosystems is now carrying a bigger message inside the game itself: Unknown Worlds says Subnautica 2 has not used generative AI at all, even as parent company Krafton keeps steering toward an AI-first future backed by more than 100 billion won in investment.

Creative media producer Scott MacDonald said the studio did not use generative AI on the project and that everything in Subnautica 2 has been done by people. He also drew a sharp line between traditional game AI, the code that governs creature behavior and other systems, and generative AI tools that create art, audio, text, or code from prompts. In an industry where AI can mean almost anything, that distinction matters. Unknown Worlds is not just saying it uses AI differently. It is rejecting the kind of AI that has become the center of debate across game development.

That message lands in the middle of Krafton’s broader corporate shift. The publisher appointed Kangwook Lee as chief AI officer on February 23, 2026, in a newly created role overseeing global AI research and development strategy. Months earlier, Krafton had publicly described itself as an AI-first company and said it was restructuring operations around agentic AI. Unknown Worlds was acquired by Krafton in 2021, which makes the studio’s public line on Subnautica 2 read like a deliberate boundary, not a casual technical note.

The timing is important because trust around the sequel has already been strained. Krafton said Subnautica 2’s early access launch moved to 2026 because of quality concerns and feedback from playtests. Bloomberg also reported that the game was tied to a possible $250 million bonus linked to revenue targets. In March 2026, a Delaware Chancery Court judge ordered Ted Gill reinstated as CEO of Unknown Worlds and returned operational control over Subnautica 2, deepening scrutiny over who was steering the project and why.

Unknown Worlds said on April 30 that Subnautica 2 will enter Early Access on May 14, 2026 at 08:00 PDT, 15:00 UTC, for $29.99. The game is set to launch on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S, Windows Store, and Xbox Game Pass, with up to four-player co-op, new biomes, creatures, and player feedback shaping the Early Access build. For a series known for atmosphere, authored worlds, and careful environmental storytelling, the studio is making its position plain: Subnautica 2 is meant to feel made, not generated.