Rejoice, Subnautica fans, for Unknown Worlds Entertainment has officially revealed Subnautica 3! Still early in development, but still! At some point in the future, we’re finally getting another video game trip to 4546B!
Subnautica: Work in Progress
Unknown Worlds Entertainment, the developer behind the Subnautica games, has just announced on Twitter that they’re “seeking a Senior Narrative Designer to work with us to help shape the next game in the Subnautica universe”. Apparently, they want to hire someone to write the story for Subnautica 3. The full description of the job on their website contains more details below:
“Unknown Worlds is seeking a Senior Narrative Designer to join the team working on the next game in the Subnautica universe. This person will collaborate closely with the team to tell compelling, dramatic stories in the context of the game experience, while also defining the history and lore of a new science fiction world and its alien inhabitants. This person has a unique opportunity to join the team early in development and help establish the narrative direction for a beloved franchise.”
You can, in fact, apply for this job right now on Unknown Worlds.com. Do you want to write the story for Subnautica 3, and work on the voice work and lore for it? Maybe even write a biology entry in the PDA database for yourself? Then perhaps this job might be for you.
Sadly, Unknown Worlds gives no further details about Subnautica 3 in this Twitter post. It’s just too early in development for that sort of thing. However, we can glean quite a few details just from their job offering.
Subnautica 3: Speculation [Spoilers For Subnautica: Below Zero]
One of the preferences listed to be a Senior Narrative Designer for Subnautica 3 states that the person applying for the job has to have “[f]amiliarity with open-world games and the process of developing narrative in the context of an open-ended, player-driven experience”. This suggests that like Subnautica: Below Zero, the third game will feature a nonlinear story, in which the player’s choices alter the story dialogue and other events.
If that’s the case, then perhaps Subnautica 3 might expand on the nonlinear, open story of Below Zero. The previous Subnautica game had the same ending regardless of the choices you made in the story. However, this third game might change that, and allow for multiple endings. Again, depending on the player’s choices and actions in the game. It could mean that this third Subnautica game could have a very complex story indeed. Hopefully, with us finding out the fates of Robin and Al-An from Below Zero.
Heck, maybe Subnautica 3 will even take place on the Architects’ homeworld? We saw a glimpse of that homeworld at the end of Below Zero, so that could be the setting for the next game. We might even find out what happened to all of the other Architects, and explore their world’s ecosystems at the same time. This is just speculation until we hear anything official from Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Take it with a grain of salt.
Source: Twitter, Unknown Worlds
As much as I want Subnautica 3, I think I’d laugh at articles like this jumping the gun and assuming just because they mention Subnautica. They said in the Subnautica universe. Technically Natural Selection is in the Subnautica universe too. Or should say Subnautica is in the Natural Selection universe. It very well may be a new franchise in the same universe for all we know. As much as I would love to return to 4546b, I would just as much love a new planet. Considering the end of 2, it would be appropriate.
I’m excited to hear more news. I’ve been wanting to explore more of planet 4546b, and see more leviathans. And to hear, that we will explore other worlds gets me wanting to play the new game.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed both Subnautica games. But I really wished that they’d stick with one game and maximize its potentially and content. I felt like Subnautica felt a bit half-assed before they jumped right on Subnautica: Below Zero. Well, maybe not half-assed because they did do a great job on it, but perhaps a few too many missed opportunities here and there, for my liking.
You could justify it by arguing that these are relatively “new devs” and that they needed the experience of a few games, though, because Below Zero was a few notches better than the original, overall. But they both felt relatively short and often a bit empty in places.
Hopefully, they will have learned enough from both games to go all-in on Subnautica 3 and create an experience that just keeps on giving through the years, by adding more content than ever before and letting the game evolve and mature throughout several years of post-release updates, similar so a lot of other games that people just keep coming back to (Terraria, Minecraft, Satisfactory, Astroneer, and so on that follow in a similar strain as Subnautica). The maps in the Subnauticas were pretty big, but there was a lot of negative space and the actual “things to do besides crafting and base-building” felt very scarce.
Idk, just my two cents. I trust they’ll at least make a solid, memorable experience that is at least worth the 30-40 hours I spent in their previous games. That’s enough for me to appreciate a sequel, even if I’d prefer to see some kind of “magnum opus” that just keeps on giving.
So much potential in Subnautica, don’t rush it, really put effort into it, make it great and worthwhile, no money grabs, we have enough of that in the video game industry alone, I’d love in a few years to have a second subnautica game to fall in love with.
I really love subnautica below zero since it’s the subnautica game I have and even thoug my email says I’m 23 I’m 10. I just made an email so I could make this comment anyways I haven’t beaten it yet I’d love to see a 3rd subnautica and I have some ideas like being able to hatch hostile leviathan eggs and have them as a body guard and I’d love to write the story you wont have to pay me though and hey I know what Child Labor Laws are and I don’t think it’s child labor if the child is willing to do it right?
A truly lovable game franchise. I’m really excited for Subnautica 3! But one thing that the community is waiting since Subnautica 1 is a multiplayer Subnautica gaming experience. It’s not just multiplayer, but also new main ship wreck’s, leviathan’s, biomes and mostly new water and LAND submarines or trucks! Hopefully the cast will respond to the community’s wishes.
Peace out!