"Subnautica 2" is moving closer to release after years of development challenges involving developer Unknown Worlds and publisher Krafton.
As anticipation continues to grow for the underwater survival sequel, the studio has now clarified one major issue that has concerned many players: the use of generative AI.
Unknown Worlds officially confirmed that "Subnautica 2" does not use generative AI at any stage of development.
Developers Choose Traditional Creative Development
The announcement arrives ahead of the game's upcoming Early Access launch and reassures fans that the project remains entirely human-made.
Creative Media Producer Scott MacDonald recently explained that the development team intentionally avoided generative AI tools despite Krafton's broader interest in AI technologies.
According to MacDonald, Krafton provided access to AI-related tools for developers but never required their use. He stated that generative AI did not align with the studio's creative process, workflow, or long-term vision for the franchise.
The clarification comes as more gaming companies begin experimenting with AI-generated dialogue, assets, and procedural design systems. Unknown Worlds, however, chose to continue using traditional game development methods for the sequel.
Gameplay AI Still Used for Creature Systems
Although generative AI is absent from the project, "Subnautica 2" still relies on conventional programmed artificial intelligence for gameplay systems.
MacDonald clarified that developers manually created creature behaviors, environmental reactions, and other in-game mechanics.
Using the Unity engine, programmers designed and implemented the AI systems directly rather than relying on automated content-generation technology.
Fans React Positively to Human-Made Development
According to PCGamesN, the announcement has been welcomed by longtime fans of the "Subnautica" franchise, many of whom expressed relief that the sequel maintains hand-crafted creativity and original artistic direction.
Design Lead Anthony Gallegos also noted that forcing generative AI into the project could have disrupted development and negatively affected the game's overall quality.
At the same time, Capcom also shared the same sentiment with Unknown Worlds, stating that it wouldn't use generative AI in its game development.
