Subnautica 2 Dev Answers Pirates

If this past year has felt particularly different when it comes to game piracy and leaks, that's because it is.

The success and release of video games by cracks, or pirates, has been abundant, and even Denuvo has not been able to stop modern piracy tools, including the hypervisor method. Some pre-release leaks and put developers and publishers on the back foot.

Subnautica 2, the “underwater survival adventure” sequel to Unknown Worlds Entertainment's original title of the same name, is a victim of these events, but its developers have a clear message for pirates.

Subnautica 2 was cracked early, but its devs don't stand for things

In a post shared on the game's Discord, a dev criticized those who dared to get the game for free instead of paying $29.99 during the game's early access phase.

“It took some doing, but this guy self-reported,” one dev wrote of the pre-release leak. “Thank you for pirating a game I've spent years on. I'm disappointed that you would do that because of the way we make our living. I hope you reconsider your life choices.”

The title, which is now available in Early Access, was available a full two days ago. It's unclear how the game managed to gain early access, but it joined Pragmata, Death Stranding 2 on PC, Directive 8020 and Forza Horizon 6 as titles before it was released this year alone.

In the case of Forza Horizon 6, it seems that an encrypted version of the title was uploaded to Steam and got hold of by pirates. That leak was especially damaging since Forza Horizon 6 isn't due out until May 19.

In response to those leaks, developer Playground Games threatened franchise and hardware bans for those caught playing early versions of the game. Although not quite as aggressive, it's clear that the developers of Subnautica 2 are equally fed up with their title being leaked early and word being circulated by pirates.