Subnautica 2 developer refuses to budge on the one thing players keep asking for

Subnautica 2 launched in early access last week, and it's already proving immensely successful with it earning an all-time peak of 467,582 players on Steam. While the title aims to improve on the first game in several ways, there's one feature the community is asking for that the developer refuses to budge on.

Ahead of the game's launch, level designer Artyom O'Rielly told fans in the game's Discord server that 'We aren't a killing game' in response to requests for wildlife in the game to be killable. "Go play Sons of the Forest or something if you want to kill," he responded.

This caused a bit of outrage within the Subnautica 2 community, especially as the game is in early access with community feedback normally welcomed. Developer Unknown Worlds has now issued a statement apologising for its approach to the community's feedback, although it has doubled down on its stance against killing wildlife in its game.

"We have been reading your reviews and comments carefully, and we understand that there are several concerns we need to address more clearly," the statement reads. "We also understand that some recent comments from our team made players feel ignored or dismissed.

"We are sorry for that."

When it comes to being able to kill fish and other creatures in Subnautica 2, that feature isn't coming any time soon. "We have heard the strong request for more direct ways to deal with hostile creatures, including the ability to kill them," Unknown Worlds writes.

"We understand where that request is coming from. When avoidance and mitigation tools do not feel effective, it is natural for players to want a more decisive solution.

"Subnautica has always been built around vulnerability, exploration, and survival rather than traditional weapon-based combat. We believe that this is part of what makes the game unique.

"However, that design only works if creature encounters feel fair, readable, and engaging. Right now, we know we have more work to do to achieve that."

While the developer feels the decision is justified, some community members have taken matters into their own hands. A mod called 'Killable Creatures' has made its way onto the Nexus Mods site, which adds the functionality into the game.

"What happened to being able to kill even the mightiest of leviathans with your knife? This mod allows you to bring back an OG mechanic to Subnautica, being able to kill creatures," the description reads.

Since its launch, the mod has earned over 7,500 downloads, indicating a significant portion of the player base is keen for the feature to arrive in the game soon.

Unknown Worlds has recently published an in-depth roadmap for Subnautica 2, detailing all of the features it's looking to add over the next few months.

Will you be downloading the Killable Creatures mod for Subnautica 2?