Subnautica 2: Leviathan Collector revealed in latest dev vlog

Unknown Worlds Entertainment has provided a glimpse of one of Subnautica 2's most intimidating inhabitants with the release of their third developer vlog. The 10-minute deep dive shows the detailed creation process behind the terrifying Collector Leviathan. We already have some idea about the biomes through previous leaks, and the latest Leviathan news is in line with another leak about the Subnautica 2 playtest.

The video starts off with Cory Strader, the Visual Development Lead, revealing that the creature began with "multiple rounds of quick, low-detail thumbnail sketches," exploring diverse shapes and silhouettes. The team deliberately crafted a "Cthulhu-inspired beast" featuring "four tentacles that grab, crush, swat, and terrify players."

Lead Character Artist Marcelo Figueredo detailed the modeling process, starting from "a single sphere" and building outward like traditional clay sculpting. Given the creature's enormous size, maintaining visual quality required "many, many hours of drawing little wrinkles and pores" to ensure believability up close.

Further, Principal Animator Colin Knueppel highlighted groundbreaking technology adoption, including Blender for modeling and Unreal Engine's control rigging system for the first time in franchise history. "The workflow has some cool innovations new to rigging systems," he explained, enabling "previously impossible rigging techniques."

Then, Senior Technical Animator Stefaan Sorensen engineered sophisticated tentacle physics operating entirely within Unreal's framework, designed to "give a sense of weight and flow within water." The biggest challenge involved creating seamless player-tentacle interactions through "custom-built synchronization systems."

Next, AI Gameplay Lead Antonio Muñoz Gallego demonstrated the creature's reactive intelligence using enhanced behavior trees with "dual utility reasoning." The leviathan "constantly re-evaluates the situation in real time," creating dynamic encounters that adapt to player actions and environmental factors like flares.

Finally, Designer Louis Karim outlined the comprehensive development process beginning with detailed documentation and storyboards, while VFX Artist Laura Nedal explained how particle effects translate "gameplay into visual cues" while selling the creature's alien nature.

The Collector Leviathan showcase comes as Subnautica 2 faces an uncertain future. Originally planned for 2025 Early Access, the game was delayed to 2026 following significant leadership changes at Unknown Worlds. Despite controversy surrounding the studio's acquisition by Krafton and the departure of series creators, the development of the sequel looks to be on track.