Subnautica had come out of its long-running early access back in January of 2018, and it was well worth the wait, gaining critical acclaim and an ‘Overly Positive’ rating on Steam. The game was based around the player crash-landing on an alien planet and needing to survive. A mystery unfolds as the players continue to craft, scavenge, and explore the world around them. It deserved the praise it got, but it was clear developers Unknown Worlds wasn’t quite done with everything that they planned out.
In August of 2018, Unknown Worlds announced that they would be releasing stand-alone DLC known as Below Zero. It would take place on the same planet as the main game had, Planet 4546B, but it would set itself after some time had passed since Subnautica. At the time of the DLC announcement, there had only been some concept art and a few hints at a couple new added gameplay mechanics. But in a recent announcement, Unknown Worlds revealed a few things. One, whatever these penguins are:
Two, that Early Access will be launching on January 30, 2019. And three, that Unknown Worlds will be hosting a livestream that not only reveals the Early Access trailer and launches said Early Access on Steam, but to also show off the work that they’ve done for Below Zero. In the announcement page, Unknown Worlds discusses why they’re putting out Early Access:
Below Zero is not finished. It is full of bugs. It lacks polish, runs poorly, and is missing features. We are offering Early Access not because we want your money, but because we want your feedback. We make better games when we make them with you.
The livestream for Below Zero is set for January 30, 2019 at 10AM PST/ 1PM EST/ 6PM GMT and will go for however long that it needs to for the developers to show off the frozen world of Planet 4546B. Check out their website, or the Below Zero Steam page, or the announcement about the livestream, for more information.