When videogames make their way to Steam Early Access developers usually have a rough idea how long they plan to be in development prior to a full release, with most titles tending to take no more than a year. Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment started the process three years ago, in that time adding a myriad of updates including virtual reality (VR) support for both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Now the studio has announced a January launch event to celebrate the 1.0 release.
Subnautica will leave early access on 23rd January, and to mark the occasion Unknown Worlds Entertainment will be hosting a Twitch livestream. During the stream the studio will premiere a new cinematic trailer for the videogame, interviews with the developers, a few real life sea creatures are due to make an appearance, and there will be the live pushing of the Big Red Launch Button.
The videogame has built up a strong community during its time in early access, garnering an ‘overwhelmingly positive’ response from players on Steam. If you’ve not tried or seen it yet, Subnautica is a open-world adventure set beneath the waves. The story goes that you’ve crash landed on this watery alien world and the only way to survive is to head underwater.
From sun drenched shallow coral reefs to treacherous deep-sea trenches, lava fields, and bio-luminescent underwater rivers, Subnautica has some rich environments to explore as you scavenge and search for resources. You’ll need to craft knives, lights, diving gear, and personal water craft to venture ever deeper to find rarer resources, allowing you to craft more advanced items.
There’s more to Subnautica than just survival alone. You’ll soon discover mysterious structures in the depths, find signs of infected sea life and more, with a deep storyline to uncover as you adapt to your new home whilst looking for a way off the planet.
Subnautica is available to purchase on Steam for $24.99 USD or through Oculus Store for $19.99. For any further updates, keep reading VRFocus.