Nearly 4 million gamers have wishlisted Subnautica 2 on Steam despite Krafton controversy

Subnautica 2 became one of the most talked-about games of 2025 – but not because of a successful launch, rather due to a major controversy surrounding its development. Several months of silence have passed since then, yet player interest in the sequel hasn't waned.

According to data from analytics service Alinea Analytics, Subnautica 2 tops the list of most wishlisted games with a 2026 release date. The sequel has accumulated around 3.8 million wishlist additions – 1.2 million more than Forza Horizon 6, and significantly ahead of Resident Evil Requiem at 2.5 million.

While these high numbers could be attributed to the game's lengthy presence on Steam – Subnautica 2 has been available to wishlist for over a year – Steam rankings also account for "velocity," the rate at which new users add games to their wishlists. This means people are still clicking that button even now.

However, those 3.8 million potential buyers remain in limbo. Last summer, Krafton unexpectedly fired the original Subnautica creators from Unknown Worlds studio – just months before the initially planned early access launch. The publisher stated the game wasn't ready for release, but developers offered a different version – Krafton deliberately sabotaged the launch to avoid paying the promised $250 million bonus that the team was entitled to if the game released on time in proper condition.

In the months that followed, Krafton claimed the delay was necessary to prevent "irreversible damage to the series" and announced the bonus deadline had been extended by a year. Fans responded by promising mass review-bombing immediately after release.

The last update on the situation came three months ago – when it emerged that Krafton's CEO used ChatGPT trying to find a way to avoid paying developers the promised bonus.

Officially, Subnautica 2 is still listed with a 2026 release date.