There is something to be said about new game launches and reveals wonders for older games in the series. Over the years, we've seen this with games like Divinity: Original Sin 2, Borderlands, and older superhero titles.
It seems that, like many games before it, Subnautica 2 is having a similar influence on its predecessor. While the newly released title from Unknown Worlds Entertainment is doing great, the original Subnautica recently hit its highest player count in over eight years.
Subnautica's player count has skyrocketed since the release of its sequel
Subnautica 2 is off to a great start. It reached just shy of 500,000 players on Steam alone within hours of launch, still regularly surpasses 200,000, and reviews have been glowing. It currently sits with very positive ratings on the Valve-owned platform, with 93 percent of its 35,000 reviews being positive.
But while it's performing well, the game's story won't be finished for at least another three years, and you have to imagine that's turning some players off. I, for one, usually skirt Early Access games for this exact reason. I want the complete package, and I have the patience to wait.
It seems that more than a few people are in the same boat as me, but still have that itch to live underwater, as, after the release of Subnautica 2, the original game hit its highest player count since launch.
Over the weekend, 48,604 players simultaneously played Subnautica on Steam. For reference, the highest concurrent count reached in February was 7,249 players. This 48,604 actually represents the highest player count since January 2018 when the game officially went out of early access.
In January 2018, Subnautica peaked at 51,106 players, just 2,500 more than it managed this weekend. Combine that with the amazing number of players playing Subnautica 2, and the unknown worlds are being conquered.
Similarly, while the numbers aren't very impressive, Subnautica: Zero Below also hit its highest player count since the game's launch. It soared to 8,290 players over the weekend, the highest since the game's May 2021 launch.
