Subnautica 2 Release Date Announcement Forces Outbound Dev to Bring Its Game Launch Forward

With Subnautica 2 finally getting its May 14 early access release date, it seems Steam’s most-wishlisted game has joined the ranks of hits like Hollow Knight: Silksong and Slay the Spire 2 by sending some games with the same launch date scrambling to update their plans.

Despite a painfully public falling out between developer Unknown Worlds and publisher Krafton, during which the entire management team was fired (Krafton has since been court-ordered to reinstate CEO Ted Gill), the hugely anticipated sequel Subnautica 2 will finally emerge from stasis later this month. Giving just two weeks’ notice, however, has caused quite the kerfuffle; as PC Gamer reports, some games have already tweaked their release schedules, with some, like Outbound, bringing their release dates forward to avoid bumping up against the Subnautica sequel.

“The highly anticipated title Subnautica 2 just revealed their release date — which falls exactly on our planned release date May 14,” the team at Square Glade Games said on Steam. “Even though we are very hyped for their game and big fans of the franchise, we think that it is best to not compete with such an highly anticipated title on that day.

“We need to dodge the Leviathan, which means that you can start your road trip on earlier! With Subnautica 2 launching on May 14th on Steam and Xbox, Outbound will now release earlier on May 11th on Steam, Epic Games Store, and Xbox — with the other consoles following on May 14th!”

The clamor for Outbound is pretty impressive, too, with the cozy base-building game sitting on a not-too-shabby number 13 on Steam’s Most Wishlisted chart. And while not all games slated to release on May 14 have announced plans to deviate from that, it’s a testament to how crucial a well-timed release date really is, especially for some smaller and indie devs.

Subnautica 2 is an open-water survival game from the creators of the original Subnautica series wherein you can play alone or with friends and explore alluring biomes and discover fascinating creatures, crafting vehicles, tools, and bases to help survive this mysterious alien world. You’ll be able to jump in via the early access release on PC and Xbox Series X/S on May 14.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.