Revenue and franchise sales of Subnautica in the context of the genre, and what the success of the sequel means for Krafton's strategy

The sequel to the underwater survival game Subnautica showcased one of the biggest launches of 2026. Today, we will not only discuss the game's launch (including within the context of Krafton's financial strategy) but also examine the metrics of the most lucrative titles in the genre.

What this article will cover:

• wishlists and other pre-release metrics for Subnautica 2;
• the game's launch sales, as well as performance comparisons with other releases;
• how the court case between Unknown Worlds and Krafton affected the release of Subnautica 2;
• the historical successes of the Subnautica franchise in the context of other genre hits;
• how the sequel fits into Krafton’s strategy as it attempts to reduce its dependency on PUBG.