A time capsule is a box full of objects that have been buried or otherwise hidden away so that people from today’s world can rediscover and understand current Hot Trends, like wearing mismatched socks or electing washed-up businessmen with fascist tendencies. Unless, of course, it’s a time capsule from the sci-fi ocean survival game Subnautica, in which case it contains: THE FUTURE. Developers Unknown Worlds have snuck images of the upcoming Subnautica 2 into the original game’s time capsules, offering clues about the flora and fauna.
For context, you can build time capsules during the endgame in Subnautica , filling them with leftover inventory, messages, and screenshots that other players can uncover in their own games via the old asymmetrical online. This turned out to be the perfect framework for teaser marketing. The above image of the rainbow-rimmed creatures was spotted earlier in the month (it's been a while since I played Subnautica , so I'm no longer confident in identifying wildlife). The developers have sheepishly confirmed on Steam and Discord that this is from the upcoming game, scheduled for release in 2025. It looks like there's still a lot to explore. The Subnautica community, as you might expect, has been organizing rescue missions.
Here’s what we know about Subnautica 2. Despite the vague language in publisher Krafton’s press materials, it’s not a full-fledged live service event with any battle pass or subscription nonsense, but it will get ongoing updates. It’s a direct sequel to Subnautica , as opposed to the Below Zero spin-off from 2021. One of the many things I wanted was an alternative tech tree that involved symbiotic relationships with other creatures. Maybe we could harmlessly graft constructs onto peaceful leviathans? Anyway, if you come across any sinister pods in your playthrough, please sing along here — I’m as hungry for details as a Reaper is for a Seamoth.