The developers of Subnautica 2 have addressed the recent "immortal fish" controversy, and apologized for some team members' initial responses to the complaints from players. The subject remains divisive, as both new players and those coming from the first game have had to give up on trying to kill predators that put them at risk, and instead have to take steps to avoid them as much as possible in Subnautica 2.
While the original Subnautica was developed with an anti-violence theme in mind, and had no traditional firearms, there were nonetheless methods to kill fish and giant underwater creatures. These methods returned in Subnautica: Below Zero, but Subnautica 2 lacks a way to kill fish, which has led to players complaining to the developers.
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Subnautica 2 Devs Respond to Unkillable Fish Complaints
In a message from the development team, an apology was one of the first things shared, with the team apologizing for recent comments from select developers that made players "feel ignored or dismissed." The statement makes it clear that the team is taking all feedback into consideration, and that the devs are well aware that creature balance needs some work to get it where they want it. Accordingly, Subnautica 2 will receive changes in the future that rebalance elements like Survival Multitool effectiveness, aggro range, creature aggression, and how effective flares are. These adjustments should help players to play the game the way it's meant to be played, but the team isn't budging on "traditional weapon-based combat."
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
The team further clarified that there's no judgment of those who want traditional combat in Subnautica 2, as they understand that the current methods of mitigation and defense aren't as effective as they should be, leading players to want to kill and remove threats entirely. It was also reiterated that the series is meant to make players feel vulnerable as they explore. However, they admit that if creature encounters don't "feel fair," these efforts will fall flat and leave players disappointed and frustrated. The Unknown Worlds Entertainment developers will be working on improving that experience, albeit without the weapons some fans have demanded.
Further, they explained that Subnautica 2's Early Access period isn't just for collecting bug reports, and is intended to be open to feedback from fans. Though they noted that not every request will be answered favorably, it's their responsibility to listen respectfully and explain the ultimate decisions thoughtfully. Several sections of the message touched on accepting feedback from the players without snubbing them, which is likely being made in an attempt to recover from the backlash that came when level designer Artyom "Artie" O'Rielly told players to go play something else if they wanted to kill.
To be fair, Unknown Worlds Entertainment made it clear prior to Subnautica 2's release that the game would not allow players to kill creatures like leviathans. It remains to be seen if the majority of the playerbase can come to terms with this once the game has been further adjusted. In the meantime, many players have returned to playing the original Subnautica, which does allow players to bring down even giant behemoth sea creatures.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- May 14, 2026
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Language, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Krafton
